Washington: US President Donald Trump participated in Diwali celebrations at the White House on Friday, November 6, bringing together prominent Indian-American personalities, business leaders and senior government officials at the Oval Office.
The celebration began with Trump lighting a traditional diya, marking the festival of lights. India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, was among the distinguished guests present at the event. Other attendees included FBI Director Kash Patel, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, entrepreneur Vishal Gondal, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and US National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya.
One of the highlights of the celebration was a special gift presented to Trump by Indian entrepreneur Vishal Gondal. He gifted the US President a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa, the devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Hanuman. Sharing photographs from the event on social media, Gondal expressed his happiness at being part of the celebration and said he prayed for stronger friendship between India and the United States, along with peace, prosperity and good health for people around the world.Senior officials, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Arjun Mody, also attended the gathering.
History of Diwali Celebrations at the White House
The tradition of celebrating Diwali at the White House was introduced by former US President George W. Bush in 2003. Initially, the celebrations were mainly organised at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, with Indian-American community members and Indian diplomats participating.In 2009, former President Barack Obama became the first US President to personally light a diya at the White House during a ceremony in the East Room. Since then, the tradition has continued under successive administrations, with lamp-lighting ceremonies taking place at different locations, including the Oval Office and Roosevelt Room.
