Indian-Americans hail Obama for celebrating Diwali in WH

Lalit K Jha

Washington, Oct 16 (PTI) Barack Obama, who became the
first US President to celebrate Diwali in the White House, has
won praise from the Indian-American community which said that
his gesture demonstrated his commitment towards diversity and
inclusiveness.
"It is indeed a historic occasion. All the credit should
be given to Obama for officially bringing Diwali to the White
House," said Shambhu Banik, an eminent Indian-American leader
based in Bethesda, Maryland.

Though it was the Bush Administration which started the
practice of celebrating Diwali, the event always took place in
the Indian Treaty Room in a building annexed to the White
House.

Bush himself never attended the Diwali function, which
was always graced by a senior member of the administration and
Indian-American community members were invited to the
occasion.

On Wednesday, Obama gave a global dimension to Diwali by
inviting people from across various faiths and Asian
countries. At least half a dozen members of his Cabinet along
with almost all the Indian-Americans in his administration
attended the Diwali function held in the historic East Room of
the White House.

Obama himself lit the traditional 'diya' amidst chanting
of Vedic mantras.

"President Obama continually demonstrates his commitment
towards diversity and inclusiveness. It was an honour for the
Indian-American community to be hosted in the East Room of the
White House to mark the occasion of Diwali," said David Faria,
another community leader who also heads USAsian, an advocacy
group based in Washington.

Diwali is celebrated by the Indian diaspora worldwide and
its recognition by the US President takes into account the
festival's "global appeal," he said.

In a statement, the Hindu American Foundation said that
"never before had a sitting US President personally celebrated
the Diwali holiday, and with that one gesture, two million
Hindu-Americans felt a bit more like they belonged -- one more
reason to feel at home."

"May be that cliche that all of our diversity adds unique
patches to the American quilt is not as tired as we thought,"
it said.

It also noted that Preeta Bansal to Neal Katyal and Kal
Penn to Vivek Kundra and Rajiv Shah, high-profile Hindu-
Americans, have reached the highest echelons within the Obama
Administration. PTI LKJ