Adda: The Meeting Ground for Discussions, Debates and Tel Bhajas

Photo Credit: Instagram/jassethi27No one ever headed back from the City of Joy without his bag being full of stories and anecdotes. My visit to Kolkata is also rich with experiences like how a small conflict of ideas in a bus between two co-passengers over the previous day's soccer match grew into a heated debate and when their bus stops arrived, one of them politely invited the other to his para (neighbourhood) for an adda.It is tough to translate the real meaning of adda but roughly it is a meeting place for a group to indulge in a long chatter and gossip. Ask any Bengali and he would call this prominent leisurely activity an integral part of the Bengali culture, characterizing their unbelievable propensity to spend endless hours in adda sessions. To put it simply, an adda is an informal gathering of people discussing any topic that they are interested in.'Adda' is as dear to Bengalis as their roshogollas. A typical adda session is full of discussions, and lengthy intellectual exchanges on subjects ranging from authors, books, poets, cinema and music to politics, bureaucracy and sports. It is a meeting point for office men, college students, workers and labourers and so, adda is also what binds a large section of the community together.
 
Bengal might be the birth place of the Adda culture, but this tradition can be traced in the intellectual dialogues of Socrates and Plato in ancient Greece. Originally, an adda used to be a gathering of authors, who met on certain days of the weeks, to discuss their works and writings of contemporaries, or simply praise and critique the works of writers across the world. The meeting would generally be in the office of the editor or in a coffee house or some central place where the stalwarts would come in from the countryside. From the authors, the tradition descended to its readers and admirers, who would also summon their gathering at any nook and corner of the street and follow it up with successive meetings.Though the word adda in Hindi translates into a particular place or a haunt, the primary requisite for an adda for Bengalis is a fellow being with whom you can engage in intellectual arguments. Factors like location, timing, weather, class, status and their very own personal equation are all secondary.However, an ideal setting of adda or addakhana is usually a local chai shop, pan shop or a street food joint, where people can gather informally and have passionate discussions over a hot cup of tea. These roadside addas are easy to locate in the congested colonies of Kolkata. You can also find the summoning in coffee shops. Flurrys, Coffee House of Kolkata, and the Baghan near Victoria Memorial are some of the most popular adda spots in Kolkata. Be it a celebrity film director or a gawky college student, Coffee House of Kolkata is a favourite for many. 15, Bankim Chatterjee street is also one of the most renowned adda places.
 
So, how does it all start? As you quietly sip your tea or coffee, an innocent remark by someone else would start a thread of discussions and a lot of people waiting to share their opinions will join in. There would be arguments and counter arguments, and to provide the essential fuel to prolong these arguments, you would have culinary accompaniments such as numerous cups of tea, a plate of biscuits, and popular adda snacks like the tel bhaja (deep fried pakoras in mustard oil), fish fry, kachuri, nimki jhal muri, aloo chops, mutton chops, chanachur andshingharas(Bengali version of samosas). If you can mouth your arguments with conviction, you are the star of the adda, grabbing the last bite of the bhaja in style.
 
So, the next time you are in Kolkata, don't forget to stop by for one of these adda sessions. Whether you choose to participate in the conversation or simply wish to gorge on the snacks, it will be a great experience to carry back.