Star-studded Diwali party at White House
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden on October 24 hosted a Diwali reception at the White House, which saw the attendance of several prominent Indian Americans, including Lilly Singh, Suraj Sharma, and Kal Penn.
More than 200 Indian Americans graced the reception at the East Room, a venue that has witnessed some of the landmark events related to the India-US relationship, including the signing of the nuclear deal and the joint press conference by then US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2008.
Penn, who is a former White House staff member during the Obama administration, took to his Instagram handle and dropped a bunch of pictures from the celebration. ‘Last night was a full-on reception! Easily double in size, co-hosted by a desi VP, full of artists, advocates, business leaders, public servants, old & new friends…so many that you can’t tag or include them all in a post. Incredible. Thanks for bringing everyone together & hosting us @potus @flotus @vp @secondgentleman. Happy Diwali!’ he wrote in the caption.
Suraj Sharma wrote on Instagram. ‘They let your boy into the White House. Honoured and Ignited by this night. A room full of Desis in all our roops and rungs, hardly white at all, this house, tonight. Mann aur dil dono ekdum full. Life is such a beautiful thing. To the beautiful minds and the deep hearts, to the moments in the middle, before we depart, and to the light that lifts us all the same. Happy Diwali,‘ he captioned the post sharing pictures from inside the White House.
Lilly Singh wrote in the caption of her pictures from the celebration, ‘Melanin poppin in the White House last night for Diwali.’
‘The incredible South Asian community all across America has helped the country emerge stronger from this pandemic,’ Biden said earlier.