Washington, PTI. Led by Indian American lawmakers, top serving members in the Biden administration and a group of community members from across the country gathered at the US Congress (Temple of Democracy) to celebrate ‘Diwali’, the festival of lights.
Reflecting on the emergence of this small but influential community across the US socio-political spectrum, lawmakers praised the contribution of Indian Americans to America’s development and highlighted the importance of Diwali in the post-COVID-19 world.
Speaking at the event, US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy said, ‘We, for the last almost two years, have been in the middle of a pandemic that has turned our lives upside down. Many of us, myself included, have constantly lost family and friends.
I know it must have happened to many of you too, be it family here, family in India or anywhere else in the world. We have suffered a huge loss. He continued, ‘But one thing that worries me the most in the last few years is another kind of pandemic, the invisible epidemic we are in the midst of.
This is an epidemic of polarization where people seem to have turned against each other, where they want to erase each other, call each other bad and mistreat each other. It’s kind of dark.
The Diwali celebrations at Capitol Hill were organized by Indiaspora in association with several community organizations. Recalling his mother’s teachings, Dr. Murthy said that Diwali is celebrated as the victory of truth over falsehood and light over darkness.
“She always used to say that the people you meet in America will come from different religions and traditions,” he said. But remember that the light of God is present within each of them, no matter where they come from.’
Indian American Congressmen Dr. Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamurthy, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal also addressed the gathering and congratulated the community on the occasion.
