Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams receives special gift from Indian celebs on 59th birthday

Saregama, a well-known music company in India, has given a special birthday present to Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams, who is currently stuck on the International Space Station (ISS). A group of Indian singers and celebrities have united to perform a unique version of the classic birthday song ‘Bar bar din ye aaye’ by Mohd. Rafi in honour of her 59th birthday celebration.

Saregama posted a video on Instagram showcasing birthday greetings from key figures in the Indian entertainment sector. The video begins with filmmaker Karan Johar sending a special message to Sunita Williams. Singers Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Hariharan, and Neeti Mohan take turns singing the birthday song.

Williams turned 59 on Thursday, September 19.

Another video includes veteran actor Jeetendra, who appeared in the original music video for ‘Bar bar din ye aaye’, sharing his special birthday greetings. An additional video features famous musicians such as Shankar Mahadevan, Anup Jalota, Salim Merchant, Ila Arun, Haricharan Seshadri, and Shraddha Pandit performing their own renditions of the song.

Saregama is inviting fans to participate in the celebration by making their own birthday greetings for Sunita Williams with the hashtag #HappyBirthdaySunita.

Sunita Williams stuck in space

Sunita Williams, together with astronaut Barry Wilmore, travelled to the ISS in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for its inaugural crewed mission, the Crew Flight Test (CFT). The original plan was for the mission to last only a few days, however, issues with the Starliner have caused a delay in their return. Williams and Wilmore are anticipated to come back to Earth in February 2025 on a Crew Dragon capsule from SpaceX, after the unmanned Starliner has already landed.

(The article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement betweenThe Free Press JournalandConnected to India)