Paper short abstract

The notion of 'adda' is etched within the 20th C nationalist imaginary as a marker of quintessential India. While its gradual disapperance is yet a subject of constant nostalgia and melancholia, it has recently begun reappearing in new forms and new locations. The most prominent adda, sponsored and celebrated by the Indian state, is now held at the annual gathering of big businesses and governments. This paper explores the new formations of global Indian adda woven in the logic of free market and cultural commodification.

Paper long abstract

The notion of 'adda' is etched within the 20th C nationalist imaginary as a marker of quintessential India. While its gradual disapperance is yet a subject of constant nostalgia and melancholia, it has recently begun reappearing in new forms and new locations. The most prominent adda, sponsored and celebrated by the Indian state, is now held at the annual gathering of big businesses and governments. This paper explores the new formations of global Indian adda woven in the logic of free market and cultural commodification.