India Untold: Story of Purushottam Meghji Kabali, the first Indian pilot even before JRD Tata

Purushottam Meghji Kabali is considered to be the first Indian pilot although JRD Tata obtained his license one year before Kabali.

At a time when the aviation world was buzzing with new records and audacious flights, Purushottam Meghji Kabali, soared into the skies with a bold dream and an unshakable spirit. In 1930, he acquired a Spartan aircraft (VT-AAT) in England and christened it “Feather of the Dawn”. Before embarking on his ambitious transcontinental flight, a religious ceremony was conducted at Croydon airfield—graced by none other than the celebrated poet, freedom fighter, and India’s first female governor, Sarojini Naidu, who incidentally penned a collection of poems titled “Feather of the Dawn.”

Kabali’s planned route was both daring and symbolic - flying from Croydon, through Paris, Rome, and Iran, before landing in Karachi—then still a part of India. His journey was to be a triumphant return to his homeland, a feat mirroring the growing spirit of Indian ambition during colonial times.

Though JRD Tata secured India’s first official pilot license in 1929, Kabali holds the distinction of being the first person of Indian origin to earn a flying permit, making his legacy equally, if not more, significant.

The untold story of the first Indian pilot, Purushottam Meghji Kabali

Kabali’s journey through the skies began flawlessly—he glided over Paris, Marseilles, Pisa, Rome, and Tunis without incident. But fate had other plans. As he neared Tripoli, in present-day Libya, his aircraft was caught in a violent sandstorm somewhere between Tobruk and Tripoli, forcing him to crash-land. Miraculously, he survived.

The beloved “Feather of the Dawn”, though broken, was not lost. The aircraft was carefully dismantled and transported—through a mix of land and perhaps sea routes—to the Bombay Flying Club, where under the guidance of BM Damania, it was meticulously repaired. Kabali would later soar once more, declaring with pride that the “plane flew beautifully.”

The map below (in Marathi) depicts Kabali’s intended route in detail. This route was a bold attempt for the small aircraft that Kabali was flying.

His aviation journey did not end there. Kabali went on to serve as a pilot for Air Services of India Ltd, a private airline based in Juhu, Mumbai, which eventually merged into the Indian Airline Corporation in 1953.

Kabali’s legacy has largely been obscured by time. Only a handful of sources document his life, the most notable being a Marathi book titled “Vaimanik Kabali”, authored by Gajanan Shankar Khole, who personally interviewed the veteran pilot.