Kousic Sen it wasn’t the only insistence that made him love the city
Kousic Sen first visited the UK back in 1988
A dad said he “feels right at home” in Liverpool after what a stranger shouted at him from their car window. Kousic Sen is originally from Kolkata, the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal.
There, he grew up with his dad encouraging him from an early age to play the tabla, a pair of Indian hand drums, most prominently used in Hindustani classical music. The 62-year-old’s love of the instrument grew so strong he would stay up to four in the morning practicing, catching a few hours sleep before then heading to school.
It was the same instrument that brought Kousic, who now lives in Edge Lane, to the UK. He first visited in 1988 and returned many times before eventually deciding it was Liverpool he would his permanent home.
Fast forward to today, and the music teacher is preparing to entertain hundreds at this year’s INDIKA.
Kousic Sen has played in countries all over the world
The festival, organised by Milap, returns in October with 18 events taking place across the city. Regardless of their location, they all have the same focus – to celebrate Indian music, dance and culture.
Since the announcement, revealing Kousic would be taking to the stage, the dad has said multiple people have stopped in the streets.
He told the ECHO: “I went to Matalan in Edge Lane recently, and a guy, who I don’t even know came up to me to tell me he had bought two tickets for the concerts.
“It happens quite frequently. One day, I was coming back from the swimming pool at Wavertree Aquatics and someone stopped the car and shouted: ‘Are you the musician, are you Mr. Sen?’.
Kousic Sen began his professional journey at 25-years-old
“He then offered me a lift to where I was going. To be recognised it is a great feeling, it makes me feel like this is my home city. When I go back home people recognise me so it makes me feel right at home.”
With Diwali falling on October 20, Milap’s Diwali celebrations will feature as a centrepiece of this year’s INDIKA. There will be music, dance, food and storytelling from across India in a multi-sensory experience that brings people together through culture and leaves audiences moved.
INDIKA kicks off around the city on Friday, October 17 until Friday, October 31 Kousic’s performance will be happening on Tuesday, October 28, at The Studio Lacey Street.
Guests can expect for him, alongside Ashim Chowdhury, the blend Indian music with the likes of jazz, folk and Arabian.
He said: “Liverpool is one of my favourite cities to play in. It is a music city obviously. It is great when you play here and meet so many people from all different genres. I love living here though, there is always a great audience in Liverpool. It’s an audience you won’t really get anywhere else.”
You can see the full line-up of Milap’s INDIKA here.