Naval Observatory—official residence of Harris—colourfully decorated with lights and diyas to celebrate the festival of lights
Washington: Diwali is a universal concept that transcends cultures, Vice-President Kamala Harris said a day before Diwali as she opened her official residence for scores of Indian-Americans to celebrate the festival of lights, a PTI report in The Tribune, Chandigarh, says.
The Naval Observatory—official residence of the Vice-President—was colourfully decorated with lights and diyas (earthen lamps)
The Vice-President said: “Diwali is a universal concept that transcends cultures. It is about being inspired by the relevance of light over darkness, and shedding light in moments of darkness,” Harris told the gathering of more than a hundred Indian-Americans.
“As Vice-President, I think a lot about it because we are not without great challenges in our own country and in the world. And these are the moments when a festival like Diwali reminds us of the importance of our power to bring light in moments of darkness,” she said.
Guests at the party from various parts of the country, were given sparklers (phuljhadis) which they lit along with Harris and the Second Gentleman while cheering and wishing each other “Happy Diwali”.
Earlier, a group of young dancers entertained the guests by performing popular Bollywood hits like “Jai Ho” and “Om Shanti”.
Recollecting her days of celebrating as a child with her grandparents in Chennai, Harris said Diwali is about tradition.
“As Vice-President, I think a lot about it because we are not without great challenges in our own country and in the world. And these are the moments when a festival like Diwali reminds us of the importance of our power to bring light in moments of darkness,” she said.
“It is about culture. It is about an age-old concept that transcends cultures and communities. It is about a point of reflection and a moment of reflection to consider the duality of life in terms of the balance between darkness and light. And to celebrate the light. In that way, to think about what our role is and what our role should be in elevating us out of the darkness, guided by the light,” she said.
“In the last few years, we have experienced a lot that has been about powerful forces trying to divide, trying to focus on what they would suggest are dissimilarities when we all know that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us,” she added.
“There are moments in our country right now where there are those who fight against democratic principles. The principles upon which our nation was founded. Principles like freedom, liberty,” she said.
Among the attendees were several Indian-American members of the Biden-Harris Administration, including Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy, President’s Special Advisor Neera Tanden, and Biden’s Speech Writer Vinay Reddy. America’s former Ambassador to India, Rich Verma was also present at the Diwali celebrations.
Philanthropist M R Rangaswami, founder of Indiaspora said: “The atmosphere was magical and very, very authentic Indian.. The highlight for me was the little sparklers. I felt like a child. Diwali has truly become a mainstream part of American culture”.
As the guests left the Naval Observatory, they were given specially-crafted candles with the emblem of the office of the Vice-President embossed on them.
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