The Lost Art of Adda: Why Bengalis Can’t Live Without Their Chat Sessions
To people outside Bengal, adda may look like just a casual chat. But for us Bengalis, it’s much more. It’s our way of bonding, debating, dreaming – and yes, even wasting time proudly.
Adda is not planned. It just happens.
You meet a friend on the street, someone says “Cha khabi?” (Want some tea?), and suddenly two minutes become two hours. No urgency, no rules – just endless talking, joking, arguing, and laughing. That is adda.
Adda is a free space where everyone is equal. A professor, a shopkeeper, a student – all can argue on the same topic with the same passion. No one waits for turns, no one cares who is “right.” The point is not to win – it’s to keep the conversation alive.
From politics to football, from poetry to film gossip – everything is welcome in an adda.
Every Bengali has their own favorite adda spot. Some of the most iconic ones are:
Coffee House, College Street – The most legendary adda place. Great writers, filmmakers and students spent hours here over one cup of tea and one cigarette.
Presidency College and Jadavpur University Benches – Here, addas are like battles of ideas. Students debate with full emotion and zero hesitation.
North Kolkata Rockers (House Verandas) – Old-fashioned addas with neighbors sitting on stone steps, discussing politics, TV serials, and neighborhood scandals.
Chayer Dokan (Tea Stall) – The most open adda ground. Anyone can join, even if you just came for a 5-rupee tea. You might leave after solving national issues!
Hooghly River Ghats – Quiet evening addas with friends and deep talks while watching the sunset.
Anything and everything! You may start by discussing the cricket score and end up debating whether samosa is better than shingara. Someone quotes Tagore, another person suddenly complains about electricity bills. Someone will always say, “E desh cholbe na ei bhabe!” (The country won’t work like this!) – and everyone agrees loudly.
And yet, no one actually does anything about it. That’s the beauty of adda.
Is Adda Disappearing?
A little bit, yes.
People are busier now. Less time, more screens. Instead of meeting at tea stalls, we now argue on WhatsApp and send memes instead of poems.
But let’s be honest – online chats are fast, but they don’t have the same warmth.
You can’t feel someone’s laughter in emojis. You can’t pause and think like you can in a real adda.
But the adda is not dead . Today, adda lives in:
Long late-night calls
Group voice notes full of giggles
Café tables where college students still sit for hours
Even in the comments of a Facebook post by a Bengali uncle
Adda has simply moved – from street corners to screens – but it’s still alive.
Because adda is not just “timepass.” It’s therapy, education, friendship, and identity – all in one.
It reminds us that we don’t always need a plan or purpose to talk. Sometimes, being together and sharing random thoughts is enough.
So the next time someone says “Cha khabi?”, don’t say “busy achi.” Just sit down. Time will slow. Words will flow.
And adda will live on.
When was your last adda? And who was it with? 😊
