An American astronaut, Mike Fincke, performed Bihu aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The astronaut is married to an Assamese woman, Renita Saikia. A video of him dancing with a traditional 'gamosa' (scarf) around his neck and a Bihu song playing in the background has gone viral on social media.
His video has drawn attention and applause from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as the state celebrates Rongali Bihu, marking the Assamese New Year.
Sharing the video on X, Sarma wrote, "Bihu in an International Space Station. Kudos to astronaut Mike Fincke for this special gesture to Assam's culture. It's wonderful to see Bihu going global, especially after the special focus given by Adarniya Shri @narendramodi ji during #BihuBinandia."
Also Read: Bihar Glows On NASA's New Night Map; Viral Pic Leaves Internet Amazed
According to Nasa, Edward Michael “Mike” Fincke is a retired United States Air Force colonel who was selected as an astronaut in 1996. A Pennsylvania native, he travelled to the ISS for the fourth time on August 1, 2025, as pilot of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission. Fincke, a veteran of four space flights, had concluded his last flight in mid-January. The mission concluded successfully with a splashdown on January 15.
He is married to Renita Saikia, who is originally from Assam and also works with Nasa. The couple has three children.
'Bihu Binandia' was a Bihu performance by about 10,000 dancers and other artistes in Guwahati in April 2023, which was witnessed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Fincke had shared a similar video of performing Bihu on ISS during his 2004 flight, though it could not be ascertained when the latest video was shot. The astronaut was tagged on his Instagram handle by another user, "epicenter_nyc", who uploaded this latest video about two days ago.
GetLatest NewsLive on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines fromViraland around theWorld.
With a pen as her sword, she battles misinformation and amplifies the voices of the unheard.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
