Brings back memories of my grandpa. We used to roam around the streets of Kolkata and surprisingly he had a tonne of friends nearby. Just a walk with my grandpa to the local tea store would take 2-3 hours. Because he would be busy with adda. Topics used to range from why Buddhadeb (Chief minister of West Bengal, India ) was not working upto the mark to why Tendulkar is the greatest cricket player alive. Things also used to get heated between people sometimes ( mostly due to differences in political opinion )<p>Otherwise it used to be chilled out. Me, Dadu ( grandpa in bengali ), warm cup of tea and indistinguishable chattering used to be a big part of my summer breaks.
A similar phenomenon exists in the UK though I don’t think it has a name (crack/craic is close: “what’s the crack?”), and is more related to how you (and your friends) are wired, though it is a common occurrence in pubs across the country.<p>North America (Canada specifically) is much less open to these kinds of discussions, though that could just be my social circle (or lack thereof) and it feels kind of lonely.<p>The closest thing I could compare it to is when potheads get together to smoke and you end up talking about random stuff. The difference being that in my experience Canadians like to stay indoors and discuss safe topics eg music and other media.<p>Granted, a major driver of this when I lived in the UK was boredom (and cannabis) but even when I visit my now mature friends from back then, we still like to take a brisk walk and shoot the breeze, just sober (OK, maybe with a few beers and cigarettes)
Don't most cultures in the world (outside of the US) engage in these kinds of discussions? I lived in Italy for a few months and as I was walking around the city I'd often come across groups of 2 to 4 men standing on a corner engaged in a passionate conversation. I might see them as I entered a store to shop and when I came out 30 minutes later they'd still be at it.<p>I'm kind of envious - it's really something we don't have in the US because we're such an isolated culture.
This phenomenon is found across other Indian cultures too, although it doesn't have a name as such. There's even a pretty good Hindi/Urdu podcast called Puliyabazi, whose name pays homage to this practice.
> Adda is a beloved pastime that's unique to Kolkata<p>As others have pointed out. The idea of Adda isn't that uncommon. Even the specific word, Adda, is just as native to Bangladesh. The Bengali ethnicity extends beyond the Indian border. Wish the author had mentioned that.
Sounds wonderful! Would love if this were a thing elsewhere. I don't think I've experienced anything similar since I left uni, where unplanned, all-night conversations might happen randomly in halls' kitchens, pubs etc.
I wish "adda" existed here in the states. In some ways online forums are an online version of "adda" but in-person, thought-provoking conversations can't be replicated online. It makes me miss college life where you could pop into so many interesting discussions whether in the dorms or on-campus. Clubhouse tried to replicate this but the users can't really participate in a fluid conversation. I'm just wondering if there's anyway tech could enable these organic mind meetups?
I'm not seeing it as a unique thing. I have distinct memories of my grandparents, great grandparents, and their neighbors hanging out together on my great grandparents' screened porch and talking for hours into the evening after supper time. For people born in the early 1900s and earlier in the South, it's just what you did, because the wind moved better outdoors than indoors and the matriarch of the family just spent a couple hours warming the house up in the summer time with her cooking. The men would sit in rocking chairs with cigarettes or cigars and talk about sports, politics, how their crops were doing, etc, and the women would sit together on makeshift outdoor couches with dinner mints or desserts to discuss their kids and the local gossip.<p>Even today, my friends and their families will get together for game nights twice a week at different homes, just discussing whatever comes to mind while playing board or card games.
What is Adda? How is it different from people discussing about a topic? I don't understand from this article, but it sounds like something I'd like to know more about.
Argentinians do this a lot. We don't have a name for it other than "juntada" (lit. gathering). Maybe is the Italian cultural influence.<p>We just get together and chat, in parks, cafes, houses, wherever. We even incorporate strangers into these conversations. It's a great way to meet people.<p>I always assumed this was quite common in all/most cultures.
Reminds me very much of the salon: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salon_(gathering)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salon_(gathering)</a>