A short history of the India Coffee House: Conversation, revolutionary politics and a different way to do business Unassuming, unostentatious, efficient, reasonably priced and other such adjectives are what spring to mind when the India Coffee House is spoken of. Karthik Venkatesh January 09, 2021 09:50:30 IST College Street Coffee House, Kolkata – A portrait of Tagore on the wall. Image via Wikimedia Commons
A story that begins in British times, takes a decidedly leftward twist in Nehruvian times, acquires a certain notoriety or revolutionary flavour (depending on your politics) in the times of Indira, and more than holds its own even when the ‘animal spirits’ of liberalisation and globalisation are unleashed, cannot be an ordinary one. Throw in a generous mix of intellectuals, filmmakers, writers and other such cultural personalities into the mix, w