The First Indian Woman To Fly An Aircraft In A Saree

When Sarla Thakral became the first Indian woman to fly an aircraft, she already had a four-year-old daughter!

We have been trying to dig into our history timelines and come out with names of India's female unsung heroes so that you know why we say they Bollywood needs to make a biopic on them. And taking the series forward, we chose Sarla Thakral, the one lady who pioneered a career in aviation. She was not just the first woman to fly solo, but her story of success is as inspiring as anyone's today. Just that people barely know about her.

Delhi-born Sarla was fiercely ambitious who got an aviation pilot license in 1936 when she was just 21.At a time when women were fighting for equal status in the society, Sarla was already living her dream in the skies, quite literally. That's how you wing your way into the sky and create history.

When Sarla took her first flight, she was not just married but also a mother of a four-year-old daughter. She tied the knot with P D Sharma, also a pilot, at a young age of 16. Her husband was the initiator behind her achievement and her father-in-law was also supportive of all the things.

"My husband was the first Indian to get airmail pilot's license and flew between Karachi and Lahore. It wasn't so much of him though. My father-in-law was even more enthusiastic and got me enrolled in the flying club. I knew I was breaching a strictly male bastion but I must say the men, they never made me feel out of place." - Sarla Thakral

She stepped into the cockpit in a saree. At a time when aviation was only about men, Sarla entered the cockpit of a Gypsy Moth and made a history as India's first lady pilot.

Sarla obtained her 'A' license after accumulating over 1000 hours of flying. She was then looking for the group B license which would've authorized her to fly as a commercial pilot.

While working to get this license, World War II broke out and civil training was suspended. This was a speed-breaker in her career. Her life took an ugly turn at the age of 24, after which she gave up on all her dreams. During her training in Jodhpur in 1939, her husband died in a crash. She was widowed at 24. That's when she abandoned her plans to become a commercial pilot.

In her second innings of life, she became an entrepreneur. She successfully took up jewellery making, saree designing, painting and designing for the National School of Drama in her later years. One of her clients was Vijayalaxmi Pandit!

"I dabbled in designing costume jewellery, which was not only worn by the who's who of that time, but also supplied it to Cottage Emporium for 15 years. After that, I took to block printing and the sarees designed by me were well sought after. This too continued for 15 years. Then I began designing for the National School of Drama and all along I kept painting." - Sarla Thakral

"Always be happy. It is very important for us to be happy and cheerful. This one moto has seen me tide over the crisis in my life". - Sarla Thakral

Do you agree with us now, why we say Bollywood needs a biopic on this iron lady? Well, given a chance maybe actress Sonam Kapoor can play her part. After all, she did a tremendous job as an air hostess who fought all odds to save hundreds of lives in her last biopic Neerja. Also, she is well versed with what all goes inside a plane, from cockpit to cabin!