The great Bengali adda.
Aug. 31st, 2016 10:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ranjabatibasu posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
engh_2016A very formal definition of the word ‘adda’ can be given as an exchange of ideas, analysis of events involving multiple perceptions to reach a certain conclusion by an individual or the entire group. This, however, fails to live up to the actual essence of the same.
Adda is a practice undertaken by Bengalis very passionately, since time immemorial. It is often said that one’s food remains undigested unless he actively takes part in an adda session.
So, what basically is an adda?
It is a gathering of people discussing topics which range from the local weather to Barack Obama’s policy on Syria. Anything under the sun can turn into a topic of discussion, leading to debates, arguments, groupism, logics and counter-logics, and personal solutions to global problems. An adda, it seems, unlocks the highest intellectual potential of the Bengali.
There are certain spots in each locality which serve as the adda ground for the interested, often being a tea stall, or a club. The same group of people are usually seen to religiously fall back to these spots on a regular basis.
However, the scope of adda is not limited to such places only and may be born inside the 4 walls of a living room, or a train compartment.
A very common component of casual adda is the PNPC(poro ninda, poro chorcha) which basically translates to gossip. All the trivial scandals and controversies are discussed, as the limits of being judgemental are reached.
The Indian Coffee House, College Street is the most famous adda joint in Kolkata which has even housed serious debates among revolutionaries during the pre-Independence era, top intellectuals such as Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Taslima Nasreen and the tradition still continues through the current generations.
Some people argue that this practice is a waste of time, but besides being a mere cultural aspect it is actually the birthplace of ideas, thoughts, movements which more often than not direct us towards progressive futures.
Adda is a practice undertaken by Bengalis very passionately, since time immemorial. It is often said that one’s food remains undigested unless he actively takes part in an adda session.
So, what basically is an adda?
It is a gathering of people discussing topics which range from the local weather to Barack Obama’s policy on Syria. Anything under the sun can turn into a topic of discussion, leading to debates, arguments, groupism, logics and counter-logics, and personal solutions to global problems. An adda, it seems, unlocks the highest intellectual potential of the Bengali.
There are certain spots in each locality which serve as the adda ground for the interested, often being a tea stall, or a club. The same group of people are usually seen to religiously fall back to these spots on a regular basis.
However, the scope of adda is not limited to such places only and may be born inside the 4 walls of a living room, or a train compartment.
A very common component of casual adda is the PNPC(poro ninda, poro chorcha) which basically translates to gossip. All the trivial scandals and controversies are discussed, as the limits of being judgemental are reached.
The Indian Coffee House, College Street is the most famous adda joint in Kolkata which has even housed serious debates among revolutionaries during the pre-Independence era, top intellectuals such as Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Taslima Nasreen and the tradition still continues through the current generations.
Some people argue that this practice is a waste of time, but besides being a mere cultural aspect it is actually the birthplace of ideas, thoughts, movements which more often than not direct us towards progressive futures.
