Coffee shops like these [ café coffee day aka CCD, barrista, mocha etc ] have mushroomed all over indian cities over the last 5-6 years.
These are the new hang-out joints for the cool, contemporary college crowd. A far cry from the coffee-house on college street, kolkata opposite presidency college where we used to hang out between classes.
Its really a world apart - the ambience, conversation ...
The adda of the college street coffee house was intellectual [ or 'aatel' the cynics would say ] where folks contemplated the state of indian economy [ those were the pre-liberalization / pre-manmohan singh days when VP Singh and Chandrashekhar ruled the roost ], analzed the last movie screened in derozio hall or debated the latest moves being brewed (pun not intended) by IC & SFA recruits in preparation for elections ... Conversation in a CCD today revolves around who has the latest model of nokia cellphone, the love life of kareena kapoor or who last got chucked out of "splitsvilla" the latest reality show on MTV. Not being judgemental, guess its just a sign of priorities and tastes of a new generation.
The change is not in the coffee shops per se but the new breed sipping "latte" within.
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ReplyDeleteHmm.. I don't really think it's to do with the new breed or the changing mindset. It's to do with the "culture" of the city.
ReplyDeleteThe atmosphere of a coffee shop.. be it in rome, paris, kolkata or mumbai mirrors the society, trends, tastes and more importantly local culture. Kolkata too has the upmarket Coffee shops but you'll still find the College street coffee house to be packed at any given time. More importantly, notice the topics of conversation in Kolkata vis-a-vis Mumbai. Be it politics, current affairs, sports, events, literature (above all!) and world movies.
Even today you'll encounter animated discussions of Dostoevsky's works on the steps of Nandan. Something I've yet to encounter at a Mumbai Multiplex.
It's all to do with the culture of the city. In Mumbai, it's all about time nahin hai or more importantly style. No one WANTS to be seen entering a derelict coffee shop from the 30's. :) Their gucci purse or nokia communicator won't impress anyone there...
What say??
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ReplyDeletehey amit ... good to see u stopped by my blog !!!
ReplyDeleteAgree with your comment about the "culture" of the city but its the new "breed" which defines the culture of the city ... so its not only about the "coffee shops" ... I would say the whole culture is changing ... and that includes Kolkata