KC Sen: The forgotten Indian architect of Kolkata's western music scene

War correspondent, jazz bandleader and impresario, KC Sen shaped Kolkata’s music scene.

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The building was exposed, its only defence hand-dug trenches. At each siren wail, the musicians were trained to dive for cover - sometimes mid-session.

At the centre of it all was Kumar Chunder, or KC, Sen.

He would go on to become one of the city's most influential - and largely forgotten - cultural figures: a war correspondent, jazz bandleader and, most notably, the founder of Band Wagon, a pioneering talent agency that helped shape modern Kolkata's music scene.

That wartime recording, whose proceeds went to the East India War Fund, reflected Sen's defining instinct - making and managing music amid chaos. Pressed as a 78 rpm disc, it featured songs like The Good Ship Victory and There Comes a Time. It was a commercial and philanthropic success, earning official praise and continuing to raise funds for years - a lasting testament to his refusal to let war silence music.