From the government's latest policies to football, a quintessential Bengali adda is not defined by its range of topics. It is not defined by a group of people or a specific location. You can be a student, an office worker, or a housewife; if you happen to find yourself with a bunch engaged in a free-flowing discussion over a cup of tea or snacks, you have found yourself at an "adda," and it is just the best place to be.
But where did it all start? Did people just gather together one fine afternoon and decide to talk and feed themselves while at it? While it is tough to trace the history of Adda, it would be remiss not to talk about the British Raj and its influence on Kolkata. With the arrival of the British, Kolkata witnessed an influx of population from neighbouring regions. Young men in search of jobs, trade, and big fortune stepped foot in an even bigger city. In Calcutta, an affluent class emerged that was largely employed in British administrative work. They’d work all day in offices and head to their modest dwellings later. In between, they’d catch up with friends and acquaintances to unwind. The number of tea cups and cigarettes would multiply based on the number of new entrants to the group.
These men encouraged the younger lot to study for even more senior posts that were now open to Indians. The colleges in the city were now brimming with youngsters with bigger dreams. With their westernised education, they also inherited the ability to converse endlessly around a broad spectrum of topics ranging from language, literature, philosophy, movies, and politics.
The University of Calcutta was founded in 1857. Over time, on the roads adjacent to the university (now known as College Street), several bookstores sprouted, along with several tea stalls, snack shops, and eateries, where students would sit and talk endlessly over tea, telbhajas (vegetable fritters), puffed rice, etc. Anything that did not require a lot of fuss or cutlery was good enough for an impromptu Adda menu. When tensions with the British erupted, these addas came under intense scrutiny as well. Gatherings of a large group were seen as a means to mobilise, and indeed, in these addas, India found some of its bravest freedom fighters.
Legend has it that after getting expelled from Presidency University for assaulting Professor Oaten for his racist remarks, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose enrolled himself at Scottish Church College. Right adjacent to his new collage was a fritter shop run by a gentleman named Khedu Shaw. He would frequent the shop often with his friends and other intellectuals to talk about politics, war, and British rule.
Khedu became Netaji’s close confidante and was responsible for supplying tea and evening snacks like bhaja and muri to Bose and his revolutionary friends, who would have many undercover meetings at this shop. When the meetings were held in a discreet place, the snacks would be delivered to them by Khedu, a confidante of Netaji. Even after Bose left India in the early 1940s, Khedu would distribute free bhajas to everyone in the neighbourhood on Netaji’s birthday. The shop still exists today, serving as a popular adda stop for many, and there is a large poster of Netaji on the front door as a tribute.
Further, the coffee house and cabins also bolstered the adda culture of Kolkata, cementing its place in history. College Street is directly across from Presidency University. The history of the Indian Coffee House can be traced back to Albert Hall, which was founded in 1876 and became a meeting place for intellectuals and students of Presidency College and other educational institutions in the area.
In 1942, the Coffee Board decided to open a coffee joint in Albert Hall. It was frequented by many noted academics, poets, freedom fighters, and revolutionaries of the time. The coffee joint got its name, "Coffee House," in 1947, and the menu has also expanded significantly. The chicken, fish, and mutton cutlets continue to draw takers. After all, the British did influence the culinary culture of Kolkata to a great degree! Fish fry, omelettes, and fish fingers are some significant new additions to the menu, as are the loud adda sessions at the ICH. Cabins of Kolkata, another Adda favourite, have a slightly larger menu than the coffee house. The Anadi Cabin in New Market, established in 1925, has delighted the Addabaz with its delicious kobiraji cutlets (cutlets enmeshed in crispy batter), Mughlai paratha (a deep-fried egg paratha filled with minced meat), and Kosha Mangsho (a rich, fried mutton curry).
How many of these delicacies would you like to try for your next Adda session? Do let us know.