President Donald Trump celebrated Diwali with Indian Americans at the White House on November 6, where entrepreneur Vishal Gondal presented him with a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa.
The planned guest list included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FBI Director Kash Patel, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra. Not all of those expected to attend were able to participate.
Among those present were Ruby Dhalla, president and CEO of Dhalla Group of Companies, Rajiv Sharma, founder and CEO of Knack Systems, Viswajith Mallampati, president, Keshavam DC, Hetalkumar Patel, a guest of the President, chef Vikas Khanna, among others.
Gondal shared photographs from the Oval Office gathering on social media and described presenting Trump with the devotional hymn, which millions of Hindus recite.
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“Honored to celebrate Diwali with President Trump and proud to gift him with a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa, Tulsidas’s hymn to Lord Hanuman that millions of us recite for courage, devotion and strength,” Gondal wrote.
He added that, as the diyas were lit, he prayed for stronger friendship between India and the United States and for the triumph of light over darkness.
