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With 21, Sarla Thakral Started to be The primary American indian Woman To Take flight Solo Although Regretfully, No-one Understands Exactly who She is.
Back in 1936, when aspirations and dreams of women were chained and carefully monitored by society, to think of a woman who broke free into the skies and flew an aircraft is as surprising as it is inspiring. Sarla Thakral, who winged her way into the skies back in those days, became the first Indian woman to get an aviation pilot licence and fly an aircraft. She stands as an inspiration for many. Married, barely 21-years-old with a four-year-old daughter, Sarla found her dream turning into reality in the cockpit of a Gypsy Moth. Dressed modestly in her saree, she took to the skies and made a mark in history. Unlike other girls her age who were not really allowed to explore and follow their dreams in a nation still fighting and struggling for independence, there were little or no opportunities for women. Sarla was helped by her husband and father-in-law to fulfill her dream and she went ahead to fearlessly pursue it, setting a precedent for many.
In an interview with TribuneIndia, she recalled, "My first husband was a pilot as were some other members of his family. After I got married to him at 16 and was blessed with a daughter, both my husband P D Sharma and his father encouraged me to fly.
My husband was the first Indian to get airmail pilot’s licence and flew between Karachi and Lahore. When I completed my required flying hours, my instructor wanted me to fly solo, but my husband was away. All I did was ask for permission to wait till he returned."
She took to painting after that - she returned to Lahore and joined the Mayo School of Art where she trained in the Bengal school of painting and obtained a diploma in fine arts. Later, when she moved to Delhi after the Partition, she remarried.
Once she took off and explored the skies, there was no looking back. Sarla's husband died in a crash in 1939 after which she went to Jodhpur to get a commercial pilot’s license. Unfortunately, World War II broke out and flying was suspended.
She took to painting after that - she returned to Lahore and joined the Mayo School of Art where she trained in the Bengal school of painting and obtained a diploma in fine arts. Later, when she moved to Delhi after the Partition, she remarried.
