Title: The Afternoon: Marathon Race to Acche Din – 3

Author: Phidalia Toi

Publisher: Evincepub Publishing, 2017

Page: 166

Reviewed by: Amit, Ashvamegh Staff

Buy the book: Amazon

The Afternoon: Marathon Race to Acche Din is the third instalment of the series Marathon Race to Acche Din by acclaimed author Phidalia Toi. Previously, she has come up with The Dawn and The Morning in the same series and both the books were received very well by the readers, critics and top Indian book bloggers. Phidalia Toi is attempting a critique of the Modi-led NDA government through her five-part book series under the title Marathon Race to Acche Din. She analyses, scrutinises, opines and writes about the achievements and failures on different fronts of the current BJP central ruling in India. Her main focus, no doubt, is on the current prime minister Narendra Modi and his famous electoral campaigning slogan – Acche Din! Let’s see what she has to offer in her latest book The Afternoon.

A big chunk of the current instalment is dedicated to the valour of demonetisation by Narendra Modi as a big economic reform agenda. Phidalia analyses the different aspects of this step by the government. She takes different perspectives into the account and tries to present a wholesome picture with voices from all the fronts. In her chapter, Demonetisation and Counterfeit Currency, Phidalia presents a realistic scenario where she states the events from the past (to reflect from where is coming) how the farmers were duped by the menace of fake or counterfeit currency and robbed in the totality! And for that, she commends the step by Modi govt. with some cautions as well.

She also writes in detail about the problems that the aam admi had to suffer. However, as the footnote, Phidalia marks an important aspect of the whole episode before entering into the political draw-pushing of the demonetisation:

“Notably, an important feature that marked the demonetisation drive was the absence of mass riots and unrest on the streets. This reflected the will of the masses to stand by the government’s policies for the greater good of the nation.”

Surgical Strike, other than demonetisation, has also been featured in detail in The Afternoon. Phidalia Toi attempts an important and in-depth scrutiny of the episode and what could have driven to it. The public reports with her opinions are something worthy to be read by the people who are interested in Indo-Pak relations and feud!

And another important aspect which Phidalia has tried to look into is the increasing political intervention in the affairs of the student and this is a well-balanced account which she presents in her book. She writes about the JNU seditious account; she points out the UGC’s new norms which might affect the students; she states that excessive political interference might hinder the main growth agenda of the government which is development. Nevertheless, Phidalia Toi makes one thing very clear that such nonsensical attitude towards the nation won’t be taken lightly. She writes in her beautiful poem as the epilogue of her book The Afternoon:

“There the black, the fake, the self-seeking lot,
Offhand mother’s glory, dare make a muck;”

For all those readers who are irritated and tired of reading fiction or just want to venture into some serious reading, Phidalia Toi’s The Afternoon: Marathon Race to Acche Din part 3 is a book to be read! This will surely offer the wider perspectives which need to seriously look into irrespective of the political indifference or the differences that we might have for parties of politicians. Her analysis of the NDA government is up to the mark and her suggestions are fare more than the daily ones we see in the media by the lots like of Arnab Goswami and biased people like Rajdeep Sardesai who see either all the black dots or no dots at all! You can get a copy of the book from Amazon India and start reading now:

The Afternoon on Amazon