Bringing Back The 60s

In his debut novel Harp, Gun Nidhi Dalmia offers a glimpse into the bygone era of the sixties, revisiting the idealism, music and culture of a generation, who, like him, believed that the good times would never end.

- Sneha Mahale

Born into one of India’s oldest industrialist families, Gun Nidhi Dalmia, son of the late Ramkrishna Dalmia, was brought up in surroundings typified by business and culture. While imbibing nuances of running businesses, he also cherished the spiritual environment prevalent at home, where Vedas and Upanishads were a part of his home-schooling.

We bring you a tête-à-tête with the industrialist-turned-author, who has penned a fictional tale of love, longing and coming-of-age, in a decade popularly referred to as the ‘Swinging Sixties’.

What motivated you to write Harp?

I wanted to describe the hope and idealism of the sixties that I and many others thought would never end—how the themes conveyed then were universal and how music interspersed with everyday life. I wanted to write about the universality of human emotions and feelings. We all have stories to tell. I wrote a tale about how love and obligation compartmentalise people, making them choose between love and duty, between the head and the heart, between one’s social contract and what one wants. The individual choices one has to make have profound consequences. I wanted to portray a deeply felt love story, as different as any personal experience can be. 

Have you wanted to be a writer for a long time?