Sarla Thakral (also spelt Thakral; August 8, 1914 – March 15, 2008) was the first Indian woman to fly an aircraft. In 1936, at just 21 years old, she earned her aviation pilot license and famously made her first solo flight in a Gypsy Moth biplane while dressed in a traditional sari.
Her life is celebrated as a story of pioneering grit, resilience, and ultimate reinvention. Born in Delhi, she married P. D. Sharma at age 16. He came from a family of nine pilots and deeply encouraged her to fly. After training at the Lahore Flying Club, she secured her “A” license and accumulated over 1,000 hours of flight time.
She was actively working toward her commercial pilot license when her husband died in a tragic plane crash in 1939, leaving her a widow at age 24 with young children. Soon after, civil aviation training ground to a halt due to the outbreak of World War II, ending her commercial flying aspirations.
Undeterred, she shifted gears entirely. She moved to Delhi, remarried in 1948, and became a highly successful artist, watercolor painter, and designer of textiles and costume jewelry. She passed away in 2008 at the age of 93, leaving a lasting legacy that shattered gender barriers in Indian aviation.
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