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Adda as a Way of Life

bbc.com

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Re: Adda as a Way of Life

#21

Post by nine_zeros »

lanstin wrote: post #7
gunfighthacksaw wrote: post #3

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. 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. The c…

I think one point here is that people in India aren’t shying away from politics and religion. Robust conversations about fundamental questions are the norm. (Spoken as an non-Desi with a bit of travel and work experience in south India).

> I think one point here is that people in India aren’t shying away from politics and religion. Robust conversations about fundamental questions are the norm. (Spoken as an non-Desi with a bit of travel and work experience in south India).

This is possible because the number of people who can sarcastically take on politicians is much larger than any group of people feeling strongly attached to said politicians.

Re: Adda as a Way of Life

#22

Post by nine_zeros »

exolymph wrote: post #10

Not clear on how this is distinct from simply having a fun conversation.

Adda doesn't need to be fun. Addas are usually unplanned. It often involves stumbling upon an acquaintance on the street and just catching up on the side of the road.

Imagine a spontaneous conversation with an acquaintance at a grocery store but at any random place, without any capitalistic purchases required during the interaction.

Re: Adda as a Way of Life

#23

Post by noduerme »

Bhilai wrote: post #12
shmde wrote: post #5

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 u…

Kind of a same experience, my nana (maternal grandfather) use to sit on his front patio every day in the evenings. He would talk to people passing by on the street and sometimes a group of people would gather around him and they would just chat away drinking tea and eating biscuits that they would buy from a hawker passing by. Living in the US, thats what I miss most about India, the social experience. Though the qua…

The US is mostly a lonely, socially atomized place. When I was growing up in Los Angeles, we still had a lot of smokey coffee houses that would stay open until 2am or later and encourage conversation. Those were all killed by Starbucks, and the smoking ban, and the culture of bringing laptops and cell phones and work into the cafe. We still have bars of course, the last place to socialize in America, but it's a different type of socialization since everyone is drunk.

I believe there has been major damage to the ability of Americans to hold an interesting conversation as a result of this change. It is almost seen now as a rare skill.

Re: Adda as a Way of Life

#24

Post by vanderZwan »

UncleOxidant wrote: post #14

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. I'm kind of envious - it's really something we don…

Within Europe, spontaneously meeting someone on a casual stroll outside is more of a Southern European thing than a Northern European one. But Sweden (where I live now) has a strong "fika" culture instead, which is basically meeting up for coffee, taking it easy and catching up. So more or less the same thing, it's just a bit more planned and indoors.

I wouldn't be surprised if the difference has more to do with traditional weather conditions not being the kind where you go for a stroll outside

Re: Adda as a Way of Life

#25

Post by nine_zeros »

UncleOxidant wrote: post #15
gunfighthacksaw wrote: post #3

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. 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. The c…

> 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. The US particularly is so hyperindividualistic and isolating. > Granted, a major driver of this when I lived in the UK was boredom Nothing wrong with boredom that leads to long walks and discussions. I think we need more of that kind of boredo…

> Nothing wrong with boredom that leads to long walks and discussions. I think we need more of that kind of boredom in the US.

But then how will your existence be monetized? /s

Re: Adda as a Way of Life

#26

Post by barrucadu »

nine_zeros wrote: post #22
exolymph wrote: post #10

Not clear on how this is distinct from simply having a fun conversation.

Adda doesn't need to be fun. Addas are usually unplanned. It often involves stumbling upon an acquaintance on the street and just catching up on the side of the road. Imagine a spontaneous conversation with an acquaintance at a grocery store but at any random place, without any capitalistic purchases required during the interaction.

Isn't that a normal thing? Where isn't this done? If you bump into someone you know do you just greet them and then leave?

Re: Adda as a Way of Life

#28

Post by ghufran_syed »

nine_zeros wrote: post #19
UncleOxidant wrote: post #14

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. I'm kind of envious - it's really something we don…

It's very rare in the US. Adda is quite literally wasting time on conversations. It cannot thrive in an environment where time is money and money is sacred.

The subjects of this article would probably disagree with you:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-barber-shops-salon...

Re: Adda as a Way of Life

#29

Post by DiggyJohnson »

exolymph wrote: post #10

Not clear on how this is distinct from simply having a fun conversation.

Are you from the US? This is clearly a distinct concept from my American perspective because it captures the cultural expectation of conversation and discussion.

America is a very isolated, lonely place. These fun, ephemeral conversations don’t happen much here.

Re: Adda as a Way of Life

#30

Post by yati »

pkd wrote: post #8

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.

I grew up and studied in Kolkata, and have lived elsewhere in India, but I haven’t quite seen anything like the daily adda outside of West Bengal. The article is spot on with most of us not even realizing how special it is unless we move out.
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