Trump celebrates Diwali at White House with Indian-American leaders
US President Donald Trump participated in a diya-lighting ceremony and received the Hanuman Chalisa as a gift from an entrepreneur.
US President Donald Trump marked Diwali at the White House on Friday by hosting a gathering of Indian-American business leaders and community representatives in the Oval Office, according to News18 and Hindustan Times.
During the event, Trump participated in a ceremony to light a diya. Entrepreneur and GOQii Technologies founder Vishal Gondal presented the President with a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa, a devotional hymn by Tulsidas.
Gondal shared on social media that his prayer during the lighting of the lamps was for the triumph of light over darkness and a stronger friendship between India and the United States.
The high-profile gathering included India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, FBI Director Kash Patel, and IBM CEO Arvind Krishna. Other attendees were celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, US National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Arjun Mody.
Other notable guests included Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, entrepreneur Vishal Gondal, and former Canadian parliamentarian Ruby Dhalla. The celebration also saw the presence of Rajiv Sharma, Viswajith Mallampati, and Hetalkumar Patel.
The tradition of White House Diwali celebrations began in 2003 under George W Bush. In 2009, Barack Obama was the first president to light a diya at the White House during the festival.
