The festival of lights was celebrated on Friday at the official residence of US Vice President Kamala Harris. On this occasion, he invited more than 100 prominent Indians and Americans to celebrate the festival of lights.
The Naval Observatory, the official residence of Vice President Kamala Harris, was decorated with colorful lights and earthen lamps. From 'Pani Puri' to traditional sweets and delicious Indian delicacies, arrangements were made for the guests.
Recalling his childhood days of celebrating with his grandparents in Chennai, Harris said that Diwali goes beyond cultures and communities. This festival is all about being inspired by the relevance of light over darkness and shedding light in moments of darkness. These are the moments when a festival like Deepawali reminds us of the importance of the power to bring light in the darkest of times.
Harris gave sparklers to free the guests. Everyone also wished each other Happy Diwali. Earlier a group of girls performed on popular Bollywood hit songs like 'Jai Ho' and 'Om Shanti'. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Special Adviser to the President Neera Tandon, Biden's speechwriter Vinay Reddy and former US Ambassador to India Rich Verma were present on this occasion.
Indiaspora founder MR Rangaswamy, who arrived at Harris's residence to celebrate Diwali, said, "As an American, I am proud to see festivals of all religions being mainstreamed. This is diversity. Diwali has truly become a mainstream part of American culture.