Orthodhaval at 06:03, 2 February 2026

2026-02-02T06:03:20Z

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{{Short description|Indian naval servicewoman}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Kalyani Sen
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Chief Officer Margaret L Cooper, Deputy Director of the Women’s Royal Indian Naval Service (WRINS), with Second Officer Kalyani Sen, WRINS at Rosyth during their two month study visit to Britain.jpg
| image_upright =
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| caption = Kalyani Sen (left) with Chief Officer Margaret I. Cooper (right), at [[Rosyth]], 3 June 1945
| native_name =
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| pronunciation =
| birth_name = Kalyani Gupta
| birth_date = {{circa|1917}}
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| education = *[[Kinnaird College for Women|Kinnaird College]], Lahore
*[[Government College University, Lahore|Government College]], Lahore
*[[University of the Punjab|Punjab University]]
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| occupation =
| years_active = 1943–1945
{{Infobox military person
|embed = yes
|embed_title = [[Women's Auxiliary Corps (India)]] WAC(I)
|allegiance = {{flagicon|British Raj}} [[British India]]
|branch = [[Women’s Royal Indian Naval Service]]
|serviceyears = 1943–1945
|rank =[[Subaltern (military)|Second Officer]]
}}
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| known_for = *Debating
*First Indian service woman to visit the UK
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| spouse = {{marriage|[[Lionel Protip Sen]]|1939|1953|end=div}}<br>Tutu Bhagat
| partner = 
| children = known 2 including [[Mala Sen]]
| parents =
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| father = [[Sumarendra Nath Gupta|S. N. Gupta]]
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'''Kalyani Sen''' (born {{circa|1917}}) was [[Subaltern (military)|Second Officer]] of the [[Women’s Royal Indian Naval Service]] (WRINS), a section of the [[Women's Auxiliary Corps (India)]] WAC(I). In 1945, she became the first Indian servicewoman to visit the UK.

Sen was the daughter of the principal of the [[National College of Arts|Mayo Arts College]], [[Lahore]]. In 1938 she gained a masters in English literature from the [[University of the Punjab|Punjab University]] before commencing studies for a masters in political science. As a student she performed in theatre and at one time played [[Ophelia]] in the play ''[[Hamlet]]'', at a time when Indian women did not typically act on stage. Her success on stage led to her being sought out for cinema. In 1938, while a student at Punjab University, at a session of the All-India Inter-University Debate, she was announced as the best speaker after she spoke against the proposal that India should not contribute to future wars. That debate won her the gold medal and Punjab University the [[Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee]] trophy.

In 1943, during the [[Second World War]], Sen joined the WAC(I). The following year she received the [[Commission (document)|King's commission]] as [[Subaltern (military)|Second Officer]].

==Early life and education==
Kalyani Sen (née Gupta), affectionately known as 'Babli',<ref name=Palit2004>{{Cite book |last=Palit |first=Maj Gen DK |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SPLSMXSl8dEC |title=Musings & Memories: Vol (I) |date=2004 |publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=81-7062-275-1 |location=New Delhi |pages=114, 127, 236 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=C&MG1941>{{cite news |title=Births |work= [[Civil and Military Gazette]]|location=Lahore
|date=26 September 1941|page=2|url= https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19410926/014/0002|via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref> was born around 1917, the only daughter of [[Sumarendra Nath Gupta|S. N. Gupta]], an artist and the principal of the [[National College of Arts|Mayo Arts College]], [[Lahore]],<ref name=Palit2004/><ref name=Chatterjee1938>{{Cite journal |last=Chatterjee |first=Ramananda |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.170936/page/n431/mode/2up?q=all-india |title=All-India Inter-University debate in Calcutta|journal=[[Modern Review (Calcutta)|Modern Review]]|date=1938 |publisher=Prabasi Press Private, Limited |volume=Lxiv|page=658 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=IndInf1945>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbV7iAkhz4kC |title=Indian Information |date=1945 |pages=386, 463 |language=en}}</ref> and Mrs. Gupta, who later became a chief commander for the [[Women's Auxiliary Corps (India)]] WAC(I).<ref name=IndInf1945/> Her grandfather was the journalist [[Nagendranath Gupta]].<ref name=Chatterjee1938/> She studied at [[Kinnaird College for Women|Kinnaird College]] and [[Government College University, Lahore|Government College]], both in Lahore.<ref name=C&MG1945>{{cite news |title=Women's work for women in India |work= Civil & Military Gazette|location=Lahore
|date=5 August 1945|page=8|url= https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19450805/089/0008|via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=Bali1969>{{Cite book |last=Bali |first=Amar Nath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bz5uCceDJ_YC |title=Glimpses of Punjab's History |date=1969 |publisher=New Delhi |pages=148 |language=en}}</ref> At the 13th annual exhibition of the [[Punjab Fine Arts Society]] in 1935, she was listed as one of the prize winners.<ref name=C&MG.27February1935>{{cite news |title=Punjab Fine Arts Society: 13th Annual Exhibition |work= Civil & Military Gazette|location=Lahore
|date=27 February 1935|page=10|url= https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19350227/154/0010|via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription}}</ref> At Government College, she performed in open air theatre,<ref name=C&MG.3June1938>{{cite news |title=Government College Dramatic Club |work= Civil & Military Gazette|location=Lahore
|date=3 June 1938|page=9|url= https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19380603/139/0009|via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and played [[Ophelia]] in the play ''[[Hamlet]]'', at a time when Indian women did not typically act on stage.<ref name=CinVis1980>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=opQHAQAAIAAJ |title=Cinema Vision India |date=1980 |publisher=S. Kak |volume=1 |language=en|quote=But when Kalyani Gupta was sought for from the Punjab to play in a Calcutta film we felt that we were entering the stream of entertainment arts. At that time it must be remembered that hardly any woman had been allowed to appear on the stage or in the films.}}</ref> Her success on stage led to her being sought out for cinema in then Calcutta.<ref name=CinVis1980/>

In 1938, she gained a masters in English literature from the [[University of the Punjab|Punjab University]] before commencing studies for a masters in political science.<ref name=C&MG1945/> There, she took part in debates including arguing against the notion that "sport is not in the domain of women."<ref name="AIR1938">{{Cite journal |date=7 March 1938 |title=Picked from the programmes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u-LgDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA360 |journal=The Indian Listener |language=en |publisher=All India Radio (AIR), New Delhi |volume=III |issue=6 |pages=360}}</ref> In the same year, at a session of the [[All-India Inter-University Debate]], organised by the [[Department of Law, University of Calcutta|Calcutta University Law College union]], she was announced as the best speaker after she spoke against the proposal "That India should be no party to future wars."<ref name=Chatterjee1938/> That debate won her the gold medal, and resulted in the [[Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee]] trophy going to Punjab University.<ref name=Chatterjee1938/>

==Second World War==
In 1943, during the [[Second World War]], Sen joined the WAC(I).<ref name=IndInf1945/>{{efn|Wives of [[Royal Indian Navy]] (RIN) officers were first employed in 1939, at the onset of the Second World War, with the purpose of assisting in decoding secret messages.<ref name=Mohanan2020>{{Cite book |last=Mohanan |first=Kalesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nPqzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT94 |title=The Royal Indian Navy: Trajectories, Transformations and the Transfer of Power |date=2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-138-55495-5 |location=Abingdon, Oxford |pages=94–96 |language=en}}</ref> The WAC(I) was created in 1942 and its naval section, WRINS, was formed in 1944.<ref name=Harfield2005>{{cite journal |last1=Harfield |first1=Alan |title=The Women's Auxiliary Corps (India) |journal=Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research |date=2005 |volume=83 |issue=335 |pages=243–254 |jstor=44231211 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44231211 |issn=0037-9700|url-access=subscription}}</ref> It corresponded with the WRNS.<ref name=Harfield2005/>}} The following year she received the [[Commission (document)|King's commission]] as [[Subaltern (military)|Second Officer]].<ref name=Deepak2019>{{Cite journal |last=Deepak |first=Kashyap |year=2021 |title=Indian Women in World War II: The Air Raid Precaution 'Comfort' Women |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03769836211052097 |journal=Indian Historical Review |language=en |volume=48 |issue=2 |pages=202–217 |doi=10.1177/03769836211052097 |s2cid=244592858 |issn=0376-9836|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In 1945, now an officer for the Women’s Royal Indian Naval Service (WRINS), she became the first Indian service woman to visit the UK, at the age of 28.<ref name=WRIN>{{cite web |title=Women's Royal Indian Naval Service established during WW2 |url=https://wrens.org.uk/womens-royal-indian-naval-service-established-during-ww2/ |website=Association of Wrens |access-date=13 November 2022 |date=30 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221113063040/https://wrens.org.uk/womens-royal-indian-naval-service-established-during-ww2/|archive-date=13 November 2022}}</ref><ref name=C&MG.April1945>{{cite news |title=Three "WRINS" Officers arrive in London |work= Civil & Military Gazette|location=Lahore
|date=15 April 1945|page=5|url= https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19450415/072/0005|via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Along with Chief Officer [[Margaret Isobel Cooper|Margaret I. Cooper]] and second officer [[Phyllis Cunningham]], their purpose was to carry out a two month study of training and administration in the [[Women's Royal Naval Service]] (WRNS), by visiting WRNS establishments across Britain.<ref name=WRIN/><ref name=C&MG.April1945/> They arrived in the UK on 13 April of that year and attended a press conference that same day.<ref name=C&MG.April1945/> Sen made broadcasts from the [[BBC World Service|BBC]] in English and Bengali, and attended a ceremony at [[Buckingham Palace]].<ref name=C&MG1945/> She reported that "In India there is still a big prejudice against girls and women working with men… but the women are so keen to get into the Services that they are breaking it down."<ref name=WRIN/> On 3 July 1945, they left the UK to return to India.<ref name=C&MG.4July1945>{{cite news |title=WRINS returning to India after training in U.K |work= Civil & Military Gazette|location=Lahore
|date=4 July 1945|page=8|url= https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19450704/131/0008|via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription}}</ref> At the time, her husband was serving with the [[Indian Army during World War II|Indian Army]] in Burma.<ref name=C&MG.April1945/>

==Personal life==
During her course in political science in 1939, she married Captain (later [[Lieutenant-General]]) [[Lionel Protip Sen]] of the [[10th Baluch Regiment|Baluch Regiment]].<ref name="C&MG.Nov1939">{{cite news |date=2 November 1939 |title=Allied army chiefs in France |page=9 |work=Civil & Military Gazette |location=Lahore |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19391102/148/0009 |url-access=subscription |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref> Her first daughter, Radha, was born in 1941.<ref name=C&MG1941/><ref name=Pass1949>{{cite news |title=Inwards Passenger Lists.; Class |work= UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
|date=1949|url=https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/28697775:1518?tid=&pid=&queryId=5f69ca6e5dd9c645a4c29c57aeb4281b&_phsrc=cYQ3&_phstart=successSource|via=ancestry.co.uk|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 1947, she gave birth to [[Mala Sen|Mala]].<ref name=Roy2011/><ref name=EEWM/> In 1953, her marriage to L. P. Sen ended in divorce.<ref name=Roy2011>{{cite news |last1=Roy |first1=Amit |title=The woman who tamed a bandit |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/the-woman-who-tamed-a-bandit/cid/391084 |access-date=18 November 2022 |work=www.telegraphindia.com |date=27 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119072237/https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/the-woman-who-tamed-a-bandit/cid/391084|archive-date=19 November 2022}}</ref><ref name=EEWM>{{cite web |title=Mala Sen: Writer and race equality activist |url=https://eastendwomensmuseum.org/blog/mala-sen-writer-and-race-equality-activist |website=East End Women's Museum |date=18 July 2016 |access-date=18 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119071950/https://eastendwomensmuseum.org/blog/mala-sen-writer-and-race-equality-activist|archive-date=19 November 2022}}</ref> According to [[Farrukh Dhondy]], she later married Tutu Bhagat and lived in a well-off part of Mumbai.<ref name=Dhondy2024>{{cite book |last1=Dhondy |first1=Farrukh |title=Fragments against My Ruin: A Life |date=2024 |publisher=Verso Books |isbn=978-1-80429-528-1 |pages=56–58 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1TdEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA56|language=en |chapter=A town too small}}</ref>

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{YouTube|nzJnWOcYtwA|Why You Should Know About Second Officer Kalyani Sen?)}}. ''[[The Better India]]''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sen, Kalyana}}
[[Category:Kinnaird College for Women University alumni]]
[[Category:Government College University, Lahore alumni]]
[[Category:1910s births]]
[[Category:University of the Punjab alumni]]
[[Category:Indian women in war]]
[[Category:Indian women in World War II]]
[[Category:Year of death missing]]

Kalyani Sen - Revision history

Orthodhaval at 06:03, 2 February 2026