More than 200 eminent Indian Americans attended the reception at the East Room, a venue which has witnessed some of the landmark events related to the India-US relationship, including the signing of the nuclear deal and the joint press conference by then US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2008
The reception saw some enthralling cultural events, including performances by sitarist Rishab Sharma and dance troupe The Sa Dance Company. The guests, dressed in traditional Indian attires such as saree, lehenga and sherwani, relished some mouthwatering Indian delicacies
Lilly Singh aka Superwoman who is being a prominent face of Indian representation in the west also took to her Instagram handle to share pictures from the celebration. "Melanin poppin in the White House last night for Diwali. Hanjiiiiii," she wrote
The Life Of Pi and How I Met Your Father actor Suraj Sharma was also part of the festivities in The White House. "They let your boy into the White House.
Honoured and Ignited by this night. A room full of Desis in all our roops and rungs, hardly white at all, this house, tonight. Mann aur dil dono ekdum full. Life is such a beautiful thing. To the beautiful minds and the deep hearts,
To the moments in the middle, before we depart
And To the light that lifts us all the same. Happy Diwali
Go light a Diya. You look beautiful in its warmth," he captioned the post sharing pictures from inside the White House
Actor Kal Penn, who is a former White House staff member during the Obama administration took to his Instagram handle to share pictures and wrote, "White House Diwali last night! 12 years ago I had the honor of helping put together the 1st Diwali observed by an American president in the East Room of the White House, when @barackobama invited members of the AAPI community and lit a diya. But last night was a full on reception! Easily double in size, co-hosted by a desi VP, full of artists, advocates, business leaders, public servants, old & new friends…so many that you can’t tag or include them all in a post. Incredible. Thanks for bringing everyone together & hosting us @potus @flotus @vp @secondgentleman. Happy Diwali!"
Earlier, welcoming the guests, Biden said it was the first Diwali reception to be held at the White House on such a scale. "The incredible South Asian community all across America has helped the country emerge stronger from this pandemic, building an economy that works for everyone, teaching children and caring for elders, responding to the cry for action on climate, working to fix the immigration system, defending rights and freedoms, building a more just and equitable country, serving and protecting our communities and the nation, informing, entertaining and inspiring," he said.
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