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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

by shmde 5y ago

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 ) 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.

gunfighthacksaw 5y ago
Your grandad sounds like a legend. I think this social norm is a good way for people to be more engaged with their community and probably helps in old age too if you have a stream of buddies to chat with, who enjoy your company. Better than just ignoring everyone or being seen as nuts, as is the case in NA cities.
- pm90 5y ago
  Dense urban areas where residents have to walk rather than drive probably helps in creating such a culture.
Bhilai 5y ago
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 quality of life is much better here. Articles like this incite that nostalgic melancholy that I have learnt to suppress very well.
- noduerme 5y ago
  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.

by shmde 5y ago

gunfighthacksaw 5y ago

Your grandad sounds like a legend. I think this social norm is a good way for people to be more engaged with their community and probably helps in old age too if you have a stream of buddies to chat with, who enjoy your company. Better than just ignoring everyone or being seen as nuts, as is the case in NA cities.

pm90 5y ago
Dense urban areas where residents have to walk rather than drive probably helps in creating such a culture.

Bhilai 5y ago

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 quality of life is much better here. Articles like this incite that nostalgic melancholy that I have learnt to suppress very well.

noduerme 5y ago
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.