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Google Doodle honours India's first woman pilot Sarla Thukral on her 107th birthday

Our Bureau Mumbai | Updated on August 09, 2021

The Doodle has been illustrated by artist Vrinda Zaveri

Google on Sunday honoured India's first woman pilot Sarla Thukral on her 107th birthday with a dedicated Google Doodle.

"At the age of 21, Sarla Thukral soared to new heights by taking her first solo flight and becoming India’s first woman pilot. Today's #GoogleDoodle honours this incredible pilot, designer, and entrepreneur, on her 107th birth anniversary," Google India said in a tweet.

The Doodle has been illustrated by guest artist Vrinda Zaveri and is meant to honour the "lasting legacy" left by Thukral for women in aviation.

Thukral was born in Delhi, British India on August 8 in 1914 and later moved to Lahore in present-day Pakistan.

She began training after being inspired by her husband who was an airmail pilot from a family of fliers.

She took her first solo flight donning a traditional saree at age 21 on a small double-winged plane.

"Lifting the craft into the sky, she made history in the process. Newspapers soon spread the word that the skies were no longer the province for only men," the blog further read.

As a student of the Lahore Flying Club, Thakural had completed 1,000 hours of flight time to gain her A licence, another first for Indian women.

She then began preparation to become a commercial pilot. However, her plans were out on hold owing to the outbreak of World War II

Instead, she studied fine art and painting at Lahore’s Mayo School of Arts (now the National College of Arts). She later returned to Delhi where she continued painting and built a successful career designing jewelry and clothing.

Published on August 08, 2021

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