Sarla Thakral

Sarla Thakral was a trailblazer, earning her aviation pilot license in 1936. She completed 1,000 hours of flying and then began training for a commercial pilot’s license. Tragically, her husband died in a plane crash, and World War II halted civil aviation, ending her dream of commercial flying.

Undeterred, Thakral pursued a diploma in fine arts and found success as a painter, designer, and businesswoman, establishing a successful jewelry design and clothing business. She was a true pioneer, proving that women could reach for the skies, even when those skies were literally filled with aircraft.

While her achievements soared to incredible heights, her Jewish identity, much like her plane, never quite took off. There appears to be no record of any ancestral or personal connection to Judaism, which makes our job here delightfully straightforward.