SARLA THAKRAL

Aug. 8, 2021

Google dedicated a doodle on its homepage to Sarla Thukral, India’s first woman to pilot a flight, on the occasion of her 107 birth anniversary.

About:

  • Sarla Thakral (1914 – 15 March 2008) was the first Indian woman to fly an aircraft.

  • Born in 1914, she earned an aviation pilot license in 1936 at the young age of 21 and flew a Gypsy Moth solo.

  • Thukral was a student of the Lahore Flying Club. She was the first Indian women to complete 1,000 hours of flight time to gain her A licence.

  • When she began preparations to become a commercial pilot, World War II put a stop.

  • Thukral then studied fine art and painting at Lahore’s Mayo School of Arts (now the National College of Arts). She later returned to Delhi where she continued painting and built a successful career designing jewellery and clothing.