(Hanuman Chalisa) The story behind this trend in Social Media today
02-10-2026
The Hanuman Chalisa is trending on social media today because of remarks by Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar during a video call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.On Wednesday, Machchhar was commanding a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv with roughly 170–174 people on board. Inside the cockpit he was attacked and stabbed by the co-pilot. Reports describe him falling, sensing the aircraft losing altitude, and realizing he had only seconds to act. Despite serious injuries, he forced himself toward the cockpit door, opened it, and allowed crew and passengers to enter and overpower the attacker. The flight was diverted and landed safely in Saudi Arabia. He is recovering in a hospital in the UAE.In Friday’s call, Machchhar said that whenever he is in pain or difficulty he recites the Hanuman Chalisa, and that he kept reciting it throughout the struggle. He told Modi he believed that practice, along with the knowledge that the passengers would not survive if he did not get up, gave him the strength for a final push to the door. He also said he recites the Chalisa every day with his two-year-old son, describing it as a way of staying connected to Indian culture while living abroad. Modi praised his composure and said the country was praying for his recovery.Clips of that exchange spread quickly, with many posts focusing on the pilot’s account of chanting the Chalisa during the cockpit fight. The hymn itself is the well-known 40-verse devotional text to Hanuman, traditionally recited for courage and protection; the current attention comes from its role in this pilot’s public account of the mid-air incident.