Washingtion, Barack Obama celebrated Diwali by lighting a diya (lamp) in the East Room of the White House amidst chanting of Vedic mantras by a Hindu priest seeking world peace, becoming the first US President to personally grace the occasion.
"I think it's fitting that we begin this work in the week leading up to the holiday of Diwali - the festival of lights - when members of some of the world's greatest faiths celebrate the triumph of good over evil," Obama said in his remarks using the ceremony with an event where he signed an executive order to to re-establish the advisory commission for Asian-American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) to address their problems.
This is for the first time that a US President attended and celebrated Diwali at the White House - thus giving an official recognition to the festival of lights celebrated across the world by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains.
“On a personal note, when I talk about America's AAPI communities, I'm talking about my own family: my sister, Maya; my brother-in-law, Konrad; my beautiful nieces, Suhaila and Savita; and the folks I grew up with in Indonesia, and in Honolulu, as part of the Hawai'ian Ohana, or family," he said.
Over two dozen Indian Americans, including several who serve in the Obama Administration were guests at the event, which was attended by approximately 150 Asian Americans on hand to witness the signing of the executive order but also joined in the observance of Diwali.