US vice president Kamala Harris hosted the first Diwali celebration at her official residence- the Naval Observatory- with members of the Indian-American community on Friday. Several prominent Indian-Americans including Neera Tanden, Vivek Murthy, Rich Verma and Ajay Bhutoria were present at the event.
Kamala Harris was seen, in videos widely shared on social media, lighting sparklers along with her husband while cheering and wishing each other “Happy Diwali.” Her residence was colourfully decorated with lights and diyas while guests were served a wide variety of authentic Indian delicacies.
On the occasion, Indian-origin Kamala Harris whose mother was born in Chennai and moved to the United States to pursue a doctoral degree, said that the festival of Diwali is a universal concept that transcends cultures.
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“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,” Kamala Harris said.
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“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.
