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Trump celebrates Diwali at White House, Indian entrepreneur gifts him copy of Hanuman Chalisa
The Diwali celebrations at the White House reportedly began with US President Donald Trump lighting a diya in the Oval Office.
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US President Donald Trump joined the Diwali celebrations and participated in a diya-lighting ceremony at the White House on Friday.
The gathering brought together prominent members of the Indian diaspora to celebrate the festival of lights inside the executive office of the US President.
India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, FBI director Kash Patel, renowned chef Vikas Khanna, entrepreneur Vishal Gondal, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, and US National Institutes of Health director Jay Bhattacharya were among those present at the celebrations, according to news agency PTI.
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Indian entrepreneur's Diwali celebration with Trump
As part of the Diwali celebrations at the White House, Indian entrepreneur Vishal Gondal met US President Trump and participated in the diya-lighting ceremony.
Gondal, the founder of GOQii, shared details of the Diwali celebration in a post on X on Saturday and wrote, “A moment of shared light in the Oval Office.” In his post, the entrepreneur said he had gifted Trump a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa during the occasion.
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Sharing pictures of the celebrations, Gondal said, “A moment of shared light in the Oval Office. Honoured to celebrate Diwali with President Donald 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.”
"As the diyas were lit, my prayer was for friendship between India and America, and for the triumph of light over darkness," he further added.
He also invoked the traditional Indian blessing, "Jug Jug Jiyo".
"Jug Jug Jiyo, a blessing many of us grew up hearing, means "may you live for ages." It is the wish behind everything I do, and today I made it for everyone around the world: peace, prosperity, good health and longevity. Happy Diwali. Jug Jug Jiyo," he stated.
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US President Trump celebrates Diwali
President Trump celebrated Diwali at the Oval Office in the presence of Indian-American members of his administration, entrepreneurs, and CEOs.
The tradition of celebrating Diwali at the White House was started by former US President George W. Bush in 2003, PTI reported.
In 2009, President Barack Obama became the first president to light a diya (lamp) at the White House, during a ceremony in the East Room.
Since then, Diwali lamp-lighting ceremonies have been organised at various locations in the White House.
(with inputs from PTI)
