He made jazz under air raids – and built an Indian city’s music scene

During the 1940s, as Japanese air raids shook Kolkata, a group of musicians journeyed by horse-drawn carriage to a recording studio, evading the city’s sirens. The building, left unprotected save for hastily dug trenches, became a makeshift sanctuary for creativity. Each time the alarms blared, the artists practiced the art of quick reflexes, pausing mid-performance to seek shelter. At the heart of this tumultuous era was Kumar Chunder Sen, known as KC. His legacy as a cultural pioneer—forgotten in much of modern history—spanned roles as a war correspondent, jazz bandleader, and the founder of Band Wagon, an innovative agency that reshaped Kolkata’s musical landscape.

Sen’s wartime recordings, which funded the East India War Fund, epitomized his ability to harmonize art with adversity. Pressed as 78 rpm discs, these tracks featured songs like *The Good Ship Victory* and *There Comes a Time*. The project thrived both commercially and philanthropically, earning acclaim and sustaining support for years. As he later recalled in his memoir, “my record received an artificial boost on the ‘pop’ market” when a Hollywood film of the same name emerged, showcasing his foresight in blending music with broader cultural trends.

Born in 1919, Sen embodied a dual heritage. His maternal lineage traced back to Lt Gen Sir Edward Barnes, a Waterloo veteran, while his paternal roots connected to Brahmananda Keshub Chandra Sen, a 19th-century Bengali reformer. Raised in Kolkata, he navigated a convent school and a Jesuit institution, where his fascination with music began during afternoons spent tuning instruments in the school’s music room. His family nurtured artistic sensibilities: his elder sister, Moneesha, was a concert pianist; Pamela, a prima ballerina; and his younger sibling, Bunny, regularly performed on All India Radio.

By his teens, Sen had already graced the stages of Park Street, the city’s vibrant cultural nerve center, at the San Souci Theatre. As a pianist and guitarist, he quickly evolved into a multi-instrumentalist, blending his talents with songwriting. His versatility extended beyond music—he was also a standout athlete, becoming the first Indian to win the Macklin Sculls, a prestigious single sculling race, at the Calcutta Lake Club in 1938.

After an engineering apprenticeship, Sen joined the Burmese front as a Reuters correspondent. In Lashio, present-day Myanmar (then Burma), shrapnel from a Japanese air raid left a mark on his helmet, a reminder of the dangers he faced. Yet, even amidst conflict, he composed music. His works, including *Why Should I Dream* with Bombay-based crooner Lorna Shortland and Anglo-Indian guitarist Garney Nyss, were pressed onto 78 rpm shellac records, later gaining traction through collaborations with notable figures like Mickie Hennessey, who secured a professional singing contract in South Africa.

By the war’s end, Sen returned to Kolkata as head of programming at All India Radio. He also founded the Casual Club Quintet, earning a nod from *Melody Maker*, Britain’s influential music weekly. His impact grew beyond performance, as he spearheaded the Calcutta Swing Club—a hub for jazz that paralleled the city’s Western classical institutions. At the New Empire Theatre, he curated “big-band concerts,” inviting Bombay maestros like Ken Mac and Sonny Lobo, alongside vocalists such as Jean Statham and Pamela McCarthy.

Later, he took charge of the Golden Slipper, a famed Calcutta nightclub, before launching Band Wagon in 1953. Initially an offshoot of his sports magazine *Sportlight*, the agency transformed into a glossy weekly merging showbiz and athletics by 1957. Band Wagon redefined Park Street’s nightlife, elevating local venues into incubators for new talent. As a regular contributor to *Junior Statesman*, Sen leveraged this ecosystem to spotlight emerging artists through Sunday auditions at the New Empire Theatre, culminating in annual showcases like the Easter Parade, July’s Birthday Revue, and October’s Puja Pageant.

“my record received an artificial boost on the ‘pop’ market”