Step 1: Understand what the question is asking. The question wants us to identify the first Indian person who became a pilot, meaning the first Indian to fly an aircraft. We need to think about history and famous Indians associated with aviation.
Step 2: Think about the context of Indian aviation history. Aviation in India started in the early 20th century, so the first Indian pilot would likely be someone from that time. Let’s look at the options and see who fits this timeline and achievement.
Step 3: Analyze each option one by one. Let’s go through the list of people:
- (A) Rakesh Sharma is a well-known Indian astronaut, not a pilot in the traditional sense. He was the first Indian to go to space in 1984, aboard a Soviet spacecraft. Since he’s known for space travel, not for being the first pilot, this option is incorrect.
- (B) Neetu Gupta doesn’t appear to be a widely recognized name in Indian aviation history. There’s no record of a Neetu Gupta being the first Indian pilot. This name might be here to confuse us, so this option is likely incorrect.
- (C) Jayagan Bhagyathi is not a familiar name in the context of Indian aviation. The name doesn’t match any known historical figures in this field, and it might be misspelled or fictional for this question. Without any historical evidence, this option is incorrect.
- (D) JRD Tata, whose full name is Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, was a famous Indian industrialist and the founder of Tata Airlines (which later became Air India). JRD Tata was passionate about flying and became the first Indian to get a pilot’s license in 1929. On October 15, 1932, he flew a single-engine plane from Karachi to Mumbai, marking the first flight of Tata Airlines. Because of this, he is recognized as the first Indian pilot. This option looks correct.
Step 4: Confirm the first Indian pilot. JRD Tata (option D) earned his pilot’s license in 1929 and flew a historic flight in 1932, making him the first Indian pilot. Rakesh Sharma (A) is an astronaut, not the first pilot, and the other names (B and C) don’t have historical records in Indian aviation. Therefore, the correct answer is D, which is JRD Tata.