30,000 Feet, One Rakhi And A Viral ‘Bro Zoning’: Air India Crew’s Surprise For Writer Steals The Show
Indian-American writer and youth rights advocate Sudhanshu Kaushik found himself at the centre of an unexpected Raksha Bandhan moment when an Air India flight attendant tied a rakhi around his wrist during a flight at 30,000 feet. What followed was a playful social media post, a flood of reactions and more than 200,000 views in less than 20 hours.
Kaushik shared a video of the mid air celebration on Instagram on August 28, when people across India were observing Raksha Bandhan. The clip shows an Air India flight attendant tying the sacred thread on his wrist while another member of the cabin crew records the moment.
Adding a humorous twist, Kaushik described the incident as the moment the “entire group of flight attendants” decided to “bro zone” him. He captioned the post “Happy Rakhi” along with a crying emoji.
The post quickly caught the internet’s attention. While many viewers found the gesture sweet and amusing, others focused on a passenger visible in the background. A man in a white T-shirt and blue jeans appeared to be sleeping through the entire episode, prompting a separate stream of jokes in the comments. Some users jokingly suggested that he had found the perfect way to avoid being “bro zoned”, while another hoped the flight attendant received a gift in return.
The woman who tied the rakhi was identified in the comments as Apurba Dewan, an Air India flight attendant. Dewan added another layer to the joke by responding directly to Kaushik’s post, saying that he had “volunteered” to be bro zoned.
The unusual celebration has since become a light hearted viral moment, combining the traditional spirit of Raksha Bandhan with an unexpected setting thousands of feet above the ground.
Kaushik is known for his work on youth participation and politics. He is the founder of the Young India Foundation, a non profit organisation focused on helping young people participate in politics. In 2020, he also founded the North American Association of Indian Students, aimed at supporting India-US relations.
He is also the author of The Future Is Ours The Political Promise of India’s Youth, published by HarperCollins India in December 2023.
For Kaushik, Raksha Bandhan this year may have taken place far from home but judging by the reaction online, the unexpected “bro zone” at 30,000 feet has certainly given him a celebration to remember.
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