Kamal Ghorui
The city that thrives on addas hosted yet another intimate gathering on Thursday evening, inviting attendees to take a pause and travel, if only in spirit, to the serene hills of Kalimpong. Held at Mueller Cafe, the session brought together storytellers for an unhurried conversation on the hill town’s charm, its food, its people and its unhurried pace of life. “Kalimpong has always lived in the hearts of Calcuttans. We wanted to create a space where that connection could breathe. The adda was our way of bringing alive the intangible stories and emotions that bind the two places,” said Iftekhar Ahsan, founder of Calcutta Walks and curator of the evening. The session opened with a short docu film that walked the audience through Kalimpong’s gallis and haats, capturing the everyday poetry of the hills. The conversation then unfolded with Samsher Ali, an author of Nepali literature, who traced Kalimpong’s layered history, from its years under Bhutanese rule to its strategic importance as a gateway to Tibet during the British era. Speaking about the town’s cultural legacy, he said,“The momo travelled from Tibet through Kalimpong and today it’s known across the world. Kalimpong was once one of the richest places—there are records of even Rolex watches being sold there. No other place is quite like it.”
Samsher Ali
Adding a deeply personal note, author Supriya Newar, for whom Kalimpong is naani ka ghar, shared, “For me, it’s not a destination, it’s part of my bloodline and my heart. Ever since my mother passed away, it has become even more precious. The moment you go up the hills, the air changes—it cleanses you.” The evening drew to a soulful close with Rizwan Chettri’s rendition of Bipul Chettri’s Syndicate, turning the adda into a shared moment of nostalgia, music and mountain memories.
Iftekhar Ahsan and Supriya Newar
