Washington. US President Donald Trump celebrated the festival of Diwali with Indian-American officials, entrepreneurs and top executives of big companies at his Oval Office on Friday. On this special occasion, Trump started the ceremony by lighting the lamp. The presence of many well-known personalities in this event colored in the colors of Indian culture and America-India friendship made it special.
Many eminent personalities of Indian origin were present.
US President Donald Trump on Friday celebrated Diwali with Indian-American officials, entrepreneurs and top executives of big companies at his Oval Office in the White House. India's Ambassador to America Vinay Mohan Kwatra, famous chef Vikas Khanna and entrepreneur Vishal Gondal attended this special event. Apart from these, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Micron Technology's Sanjay Mehrotra, FBI Director Kash Patel and US National Institute of Health (NIH) Director Jai Bhattacharya also participated in the program.
Diwali celebrated by lighting lamps
President Trump started the ceremony by lighting the lamp. During this, some selected people including Foreign Minister Marco Rubio and Deputy Commissioner of Social Security Administration Arjun Modi were present. Ruby Dhalla, Chairman and CEO of Dhalla Group of Companies, Rajeev Sharma, Founder and CEO of Knack Systems, Vishwajit Mallampathy, Chairman of Keshavam DC and Presidential Guest Hetalkumar Patel also attended the ceremony. Usher Arvind Chaddha, who is involved in the management and conduct of events at the White House, the official residence and office of the US President, was also present at the event.
Hanuman Chalisa presented to Trump
“A memorable moment of shared light in the Oval Office,” Vishal Gondal, Founder and CEO of GOQII Technologies, said in a post on social media platform X. “It is an honor to celebrate Diwali with President Donald Trump. I felt proud to present him a copy of Hanuman Chalisa. It is a praise of Lord Hanuman, composed by Tulsidas, which is recited by millions of people in our community to gain courage, devotion and strength.
The tradition of celebrating Diwali in the White House started in 2003
Sharing pictures of the ceremony, Gondal said that while the lamps were being lit, he prayed for the friendship between India and America and the victory of light over darkness. The tradition of celebrating Diwali by the President was started by former President George W. Bush did it in 2003. Initially these ceremonies were mostly held at the 'Eisenhower Executive Office Building' and were attended by members of the Indian-American community and Indian diplomats.
Former President Barack Obama became the first US President to light the lamp at the 'White House' (the official residence and office of the US President) in 2009. He lit the lamp during a function held in the 'East Room'. Since then, lamp lighting ceremonies have been organized in different parts of the 'White House'. These also include 'Oval Office' and 'Roosevelt Room'.