President Joe Biden entered the event holding the hands of Soren on the left and Zara on the right – the children of US congressional representative Ro Khanna.
The event was an ode to the achievements of South Asian Americans and their importance to the country’s democracy, ahead of the presidential elections.
The president continued the tradition of celebrating Diwali, which has been a practice since 2003 and reminisced about the first ever Diwali reception being held in 2016, hosted by him and first lady Jill Biden.
The president also expressed the importance of diversity in his administration, including the role of current vice president Kamala Harris as well as US surgeon general Vivek Murthy.
US surgeon general Vivek Murthy was also one of the speakers during the event who recently travelled to traveled to Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to commemorate World Mental Health Day. Murthy is the first surgeon general of Indian descent, and his parents hail from Karnataka.
The president also lit a formal diya in the White House and remarked about the importance of such “light” in the journey of American democracy.