
Just as a dheki (threshing tool), according to the proverb, will keep on threshing rice even if it goes to heaven, so will Bengalis forever remain immersed in adda regardless of whether they are on land, water or even in space. The nature of the adda changes according to the space, time and participants but the adda remains constant. The adda organised by a popular news channel at a 5-star hotel is very different from the adda one encounters at a tea stall in a small township. Bengalis have even taken to Zoom now to go about their adda. Whatever the space, there are some things about the Bengalis’ adda which remain eternal and imperishable. For instance, Bangaals and Ghotis or East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. This 5-part series will bring together some of these everlasting debates and disputes plaguing the Bengali sensibility in the format of the traditional ‘Kobir Lorai’ (Duel of the Verses). Kobigan, Tarja Gan, Half-Akhrai were some of the most loved forms of popular expression in old Kolkata. Kobigan is still performed in rural Bengal. This series will mostly draw upon the form of ‘Kobir Lorai’. There will be various kinds of songs including rap, hard rock, kirtan, adhunik (modern) songs, Hindi songs etc.The subjects will be as follows- 1) Rural-Urban, 2) Uttam-Soumitra, 3) Government Jobs-Private Jobs, 4) East Bengal-Mohun Bagan, 5) Women-Men