Astronaut performs Bihu aboard ISS: Himanta credits Modi; gets fact-checked
What's the story
A video of NASA astronaut Mike Fincke performing a Bihu dance aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has gone viral. The video, which netizens say was originally recorded in 2004 during NASA's Expedition 9 mission, features Fincke wearing a traditional Assamese gamusa and dancing to a Bihu song. The clip was recently shared by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to highlight the global reach of Assamese culture.
Twitter Post
Check out the video here
This video is from 2004, when Chief Minister of Assam was Tarun Gogoi and the Prime Minister of India was Manmohan Singh. https://t.co/6qiPh3TNE4
— Dr Nimo Yadav 2.0 (@DrNimoYadav) April 19, 2026
Cultural homage
CM Sarma's post sparks debate
Sarma linked the video to the "special focus" given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 2023 Bihu Binandia event, where over 11,000 dancers and drummers performed Bihu at the Sarusajai Stadium, setting a new Guinness World Record. However, internet users quickly pointed out that the video is from 2004 when Manmohan Singh was India's Prime Minister and Tarun Gogoi was Assam's chief minister. Others say it was from December 2025, when Fincke was in space on Space X Mission.
User
Fincke is married to Renita Saikia Fincke
One user claimed that the video was planned to be released on the occasion of Bihu. "His wife is an Assamese. They planned to release the video this Bihu. Their family confirmed this to @thetruthin," a user by the name of Aboyob Bhuyan wrote on X. Fincke is married to Renita Saikia Fincke, a NASA official from the state.
CM
CM faces senior Gogoi's son
From 2002 to 2014, Sarma was a minister in Gogoi's Cabinet, holding positions in Finance, Planning and Development, PWD, Health, Family Welfare, and Agriculture. But after 2012 the two fell apart and Sarma joined the BJP in 2015. Sarma now faces Gogoi's son, Gaurav, who has won three Lok Sabha elections since his political debut in 2014. This election marks his Assembly debut, and he leads a Congress that is striving to recover after a run of setbacks and defection.