Sarla Thukral | |
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सरला ठकराल | |
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| Born | (1914-08-08)8 August 1914 [Delhi] |
| Died | 15 March 2008(2008-03-15) (aged 93) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Businesswoman, painter and designer |
| Known for | One of the first Indian women to fly aircraft |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 2 |
Sarla Thukral (8 August 1914[1] – 15 March 2008[2]) was among the first Indian women to fly aircraft.[3][4][5]
Born in 1914, she earned an aviation pilot license in 1936 at the age of 21 and flew aGypsy Moth solo. After obtaining the initial license, she persevered and completed one thousand hours of flying in the aircraft owned by the Lahore Flying Club. Her husband, P. D. Sharma,[6] whom she married at 16 and who came from a family which had nine pilots, encouraged her.
While P.D Sharma had been the first Indian to get his airmail pilot's license, flying betweenKarachi andLahore, his wife was among the first women in India (MrsImtiaz Ali received an A license in June 1936,[7] but Urmila Parikh was the first woman of Indian nationality to get a license in 1932. Sylla and Rodabeh Tata, sisters ofJ.R.D. Tata got licenses earlier but the Tatas were of British nationality. Sylla Petit née Tata was technically the first woman in British India to obtain a license, Certificate No. 11, May 1929.[8]) to attain her "A" license, when she accumulated more than 1,000 hours of flying.[9]
Tragically, Sharma died in an airplane crash in 1939. After some time, Sarla tried to apply to train for her commercial pilot license, butWorld War II had begun and civil training was suspended. With a child to raise, and needing to earn her livelihood, Sarla abandoned her plans to become a commercial pilot, returning to Lahore and attending theMayo School of Art where she trained in theBengal school of painting, obtaining a diploma in fine arts.[10]
Thukral was a dedicated follower of theArya Samaj, a spiritual community dedicated to following the teachings of theVedas.[11] Within this community, remarriage was a possibility for Thakral. After thePartition of India, she moved toDelhi with her two daughters, where she met R. P. Thakral and married him in 1948.
Thukral, also known as Mati, became a successful businesswoman, painter and began designing clothes and costume jewellery.[9] She died in 2008.[2][12][13]
On 8 August 2021,Google honoured Thukral with aGoogle Doodle on her birth anniversary.[14]
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