At a recent public lecture at the Constitution Club, New Delhi, Shiv Viswanathan argued that Marxism of ‘Coffee House Adda’ was more engaging, creative and promising than the official and theoretical one. The former was ‘spontaneous’ and ‘heartfelt’; while the latter was overtly serious and governed by pre-determined logic. In fact, that is true of life. Once it is theorized and straight jacketed, life becomes monotonous. ‘Calcutta Coffee House Adda’ of the seventies was a species by itself because it was creative.

Ignatius talked much about conversation and qualified it as ‘spiritual conversation’. It was not simply ‘pious talking’ that he meant; what was envisaged was ‘depth conversation’ – recognizing that ‘God is labouring in this world’ and that the Spirit is at work in each one. It is a kind of ’habit’ of ‘listening and speaking’ that cultivates ‘reverence and eagerness’. The Spirit is playful, creative and fuzzy; ‘she blows where she wills’; and she blows anywhere and anytime. Hence, we need to be reverential and eager towards oneself and the other.

Deciphering the early ‘Jesuit conversations’ of the First Fathers, we recognize that what distinguished it as ‘Jesuit Adda’ was its style of ‘active listening and intentional speaking’ – ‘where everyone matters and everything could be revelatory’. Active listening refers to the reverence extended to the person, respecting the experience behind the words, and acknowledging that person is the unique author of his/her experience. We need to listen more with our heart than with our minds. In other words, we need to be present to the presence of the person speaking. This happens in ’Adda’ – there is almost spontaneous ‘presencing’. ‘Intentional speaking’ involves communicating from the heart, from the felt experience, from the soul. It is a sort of putting oneself out, making oneself vulnerable, and being unafraid of.

Pope Francis has spoken of listening as more than simply hearing (Evangelii Gaudium 171). It is listening to the other and to oneself in and through heart. The style of ‘Jesuit Adda’, therefore, matters. It is far from ‘gossiping’ which according to Pope Francis is ‘terrorism of words’; it is like throwing a grenade and causing destruction. Real ‘Jesuit Adda’ builds up ‘companionship and communion’ as it is revelatory.

George Pattery, SJ

The author is the former Provincial of Calcutta Province and former President of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia (POSA).