Washington: US President Donald Trump celebrated Diwali at the White House on Friday, joining prominent Indian-American personalities, business leaders and senior officials for a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony in the Oval Office.
One of the highlights of the event was Indian entrepreneur Vishal Gondal presenting Trump with a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa, a Hindu devotional hymn dedicated to Lord Hanuman.
Gondal, founder and chief executive of health technology company GOQii, shared photographs of the occasion on social media platform X. He described it as a moment of shared celebration and said he was honoured to present the religious text to the US President.
He also expressed hope for stronger friendship between India and the United States, along with peace, prosperity and good health for people around the world.
India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, IBM chief executive Arvind Krishna, FBI Director Kash Patel and US National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya were among those attending the celebration.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Micron Technology chief executive Sanjay Mehrotra were also present.
The White House tradition of celebrating Diwali began in 2003 under former President George W Bush. In 2009, Barack Obama became the first US President to light a diya at the White House during the festival.
The celebrations highlight the cultural contributions of the Indian-American community in the United States.
