Kalyani Sen | |
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,_with_Second_Officer_Kalyani_Sen,_WRINS_at_Rosyth_during_their_two_month_study_visit_to_Britain.jpg) Kalyani Sen (left) with Chief Officer Margaret I. Cooper (right), at Rosyth, 3 June 1945 | |
| Born | Kalyani Gupta c. 1917 |
| Education |
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| Years active | 1943-1945 |
| Women's Auxiliary Corps (India) WAC(I) | |
| Allegiance |  British India (1943-1945) |
| Service | Women’s Royal Indian Naval Service |
| Years of service | 1943-1945 |
| Rank | Second Officer |
| Known for |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | Mala Sen (daughter) |
| Father | S. N. Gupta |
Kalyani Sen (born c. 1917), was 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 service woman to visit the UK.
Sen was the daughter of the principal of the Mayo Arts College, Lahore. In 1938 she gained a masters in English literature from the 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 King's commission as Second Officer.