From Frederick to Facebook: An overview of the French 'Adda'

An adda (Bengali: আড্ডা) is a form of intellectual exchange among members, who were originally of the same socio-economic strata, but the process has democratized in modern times. It is most popular among the youths belonging to the so-called "middle-class intelligentsia". Adda is a prominent leisurely activity in India and Bangladesh. This article (in Bengali/Bangla) is about the equivalent practice in the 19th century France.