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More than 150 lawmakers and members of the Indian-American community attended Diwali celebrations on Capitol Hill Nov. 19, organized jointly by the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans and the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple of Greater Washington, D.C. Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-NY, co-chair of the India Caucus led the event, welcoming those present to the 2nd annual Congressional Diwali Celebration held in the foyer of the historic Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill.
Shekar Narasimhan, a Democratic Party activist and coordinator of the event with the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, also addressed the crowd. Youth from the temple explained what Diwali was all about. Several members of Congress and India’s Deputy Chief of Mission Taranjit Singh Sandhu, lit the traditional lamp to launch the event.
Crowley said events like Diwali was not about having a party but rather about learning about one another, respecting differences and being proud of unique traditions. Celebrations like Diwali “help lay the groundwork” for working to strengthen U.S-India relations he added saying the India Caucus “is going to play a critical role in our relations going forward” whether it was bilateral issues or hate crimes against Hindus and Sikhs here. He also reiterated support for India’s membership of the United Nations Security Council.
Several other lawmakers addressed the gathering among them, India Caucus co-chair Congressman Ami Bera, D-Calif., who was declared re-elected the same day after a nail-biting race; Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, the only Hindu-American in Congress; and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia. Others who addressed the gathering included Reps. Pete Roskam, R-Illinois, Pete Olson, R-TX, Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, Gregory Meeks, D-NY, Sheila Jackson Lee, D-TX, Mike Honda, D-Calif., John Conyers, D-Mich.
Reps. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Eliot Engel, D-NY, the party leaders on the influential House Foreign Affairs Committee were also present and spoke. Royce talked about how under his and Crowley’s leadership as co-chairs of the India Caucus in the past, the group grew to become the largest single-country caucus in Congress. All speakers wished the audience a “Happy Diwali” and spoke of the importance of the U.S.-India relationship.
