‘Bihu going global’: US astronaut performs Assamese dance aboard ISS; Himanta Sarma shares video | India News
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma on Sunday shared a video of an American astronaut performing Bihu, an indigenous folk dance of the state, aboard the International Space Station (ISS).Sarma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving “special focus” to Bihu.“Bihu on an International Space Station. Thanks to astronaut Mike Fink for this special gesture towards Assamese culture. Wonderful to see Bihu go global, especially after the special focus given by Adarnia Shri @narendramodi ji during #Bihubinandiya,” he wrote on X with the video.“Bihu Binandiya” was a large-scale cultural event held in Guwahati in April 2023, with around 10,000 performers. Prime Minister Modi witnessed the event. According to The Assam Tribune, the video of Fink performing Bihu is not recent and has resurfaced online. Its introduction comes as the state currently celebrates Rongali Bihu, which marks the Assamese New Year. In the clip, Fink is seen dancing to traditional Bihu music while wearing a gamusa, a symbolic Assamese handwoven scarf, around her neck. He is married to Renita Saikia, who is originally from Assam and also works with NASA. The couple has three children. According to NASA, Edward Michael “Mike” Fink is a retired United States Air Force colonel who was selected as an astronaut in 1996. A native of Pennsylvania, he traveled to the ISS for the fourth time on August 1, 2025 as the pilot of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission. The mission was successfully completed with a splashdown on 15 January.
