My mother, India鈥檚 forgotten disco diva
Debayan Sen discovered that his mother Rupa鈥檚 long-lost record Disco Jazz, which flopped when it was first released in India, had become an underground global hit after 30 years.
In 2014, Debayan Sen was cleaning the family attic in Kolkata when he made an unexpected discovery: a dusty, old vinyl record called Disco Jazz. What astonished him was that his mother Rupa was on the cover. Debayan had no idea his very traditional Indian mother had even had a music career. Not only would that album reveal Rupa鈥檚 secret disco past but also an underground fanbase of millions worldwide. (This interview was first broadcast in June 2021)
Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Maryam Maruf
Sound design: Joel Cox
Voiceover: Manoshi Barua
(Photo: Rupa Biswas Sen holding a copy of her record Disco Jazz. Credit: Courtesy Rupa Biswas Sen)
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