WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump hosted a Diwali celebration inside the Oval Office on Friday, joined by prominent Indian-American corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, and high-ranking officials from his administration, including Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra.
The high-profile gathering featured India’s Ambassador to the U.S. Vinay Mohan Kwatra, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, technology entrepreneur Vishal Gondal, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, FBI Director Kash Patel, and U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya.
The proceedings commenced with President Trump ceremonially lighting the traditional diya in the Oval Office. The intimate gathering also included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Arjun Mody.
Other notable attendees included Ruby Dhalla, President and CEO of Dhalla Group of Companies; Rajiv Sharma, founder and CEO of Knack Systems; Viswajith Mallampati, President of Keshavam DC; and Hetalkumar Patel, a personal guest of the President. White House Events Usher Arvind Chadha was also present.
“A moment of shared light in the Oval Office,” stated Vishal Gondal, founder and CEO of GOQii Technologies, in a post on X sharing photographs from the event.
“Honoured to celebrate Diwali with President @realDonaldTrump 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 added, noting that as the lamps were lit, his prayers were for stronger Indo-US diplomatic ties and the triumph of light over darkness.
The tradition of hosting official Diwali observances within the U.S. executive branch was initiated by President George W. Bush in 2003, with early events held primarily at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
In 2009, President Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to light a diya inside the White House proper, holding a ceremonial lighting in the East Room. Since then, the annual ceremonial lighting has become a mainstay across key White House venues, including the Roosevelt Room and the Oval Office.
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