“a moment of shared light in the Oval Office”
US President Donald Trump marked Diwali at the White House by lighting a diya in the Oval Office.
The celebrations took place on November 6, 2026, and brought together several high-profile guests, including India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, entrepreneur Vishal Gondal, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra.
Also among those attending were FBI Director Kash Patel and US National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Social Security Administration Deputy Commissioner Arjun Mody.
The gathering began with Trump lighting a diya during an intimate ceremony in the Oval Office, continuing a White House tradition that has become an annual occasion for recognising the festival and its significance to the Indian-American community.
Other guests 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 guest of the president. White House Events Usher Arvind Chadha was also present.
Sharing photographs from the celebrations on X, Gondal, founder and CEO of GOQii Technologies, described the occasion as “a moment of shared light in the Oval Office”.
He added: “Honoured to celebrate Diwali with President @realDonaldTrump and proud to gift him with a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa, Tulsidas’ hymn to Lord Hanuman that millions of us recite for courage, devotion and strength.”
Gondal added that as the diyas were lit, his prayer was for friendship between India and the US, and for the triumph of light over darkness.
The White House’s Diwali celebrations date back to 2003, when President George W Bush established the tradition.
Initially, events were largely held in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, attended by Indian-American community representatives and Indian diplomats.
In 2009, President Barack Obama became the first US president to light a diya at the White House, doing so during a ceremony in the East Room.
Subsequent administrations have continued the practice, with lamp-lighting ceremonies taking place in different parts of the White House, including the Oval Office and Roosevelt Room.
The latest celebration continues a tradition that has provided successive US presidents with an opportunity to acknowledge Diwali and the contribution of Indian-Americans to the country.
