The spell that Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast over US lawmakers nearly two months during his visit to the United States has still not worn off, as was manifest by the gushing nostalgia of the Modi magic by both Democratic and Republican party representatives at the Congressional Diwali celebration on Capital Hill on Wednesday.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, a Democrat, who represents the Houston area of Texas, recalled how Modi had attracted a crowd of over 50,000 plus to New York’s Madison Square Garden.
“What a dynamic experience,” she said, and declared to rousing cheers from the largely Indian American audience assembled in the House Rayburn Building foyer, ‘India and the United States, together now and forever.’
Congressman Joe Crowley, New York Democrat and the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, who was the emcee at the celebration, quipped -- to peals of laughter, “This just goes to show the power of Modi is so great that 50,000 people were fitted into a 20,000-seat arena. But it did feel like 50,000 people.”
But Jackson-Lee shot right back to even more guffaws, “If you say it, people will believe it.”
Over a dozen lawmakers and one US Senator, Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia, who co-chairs the Senate India Caucus, graced the occasion, which was organised by members of the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Maryland led by their trustee Shekar Narasimhan.
The celebration began with the reciting of shlokas by several priests from SSVT led by priest Narayanachar L Digalakote, who has earlier done the honours at the White House and the State Department.
Then each of the lawmakers were garlanded and draped with a colourful shawl and asked to light the diya, after which they were called up to the podium by Crowley to say a few words.
Congressman Eliot Engel, New York Democrat and the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reminisced, “When I was a little boy growing up in New York, I could only dream that one day I could go to Madison Square Garden and I never dreamed that I would be on the stage when the Prime Minister of India came in and all of us went on stage with him.”
“And, I was thinking, OK, I fulfilled my dream of being on stage in Madison Square Garden in New York City. I thank to the prime minister of India.”
Engel told the more than 100 guests (much less than the nearly 500 who had attended the inaugural Congressional Diwali celebration last year), who had braved the frigid cold on a damp and dreary evening with wind gusts of over 20-30 mph that as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee he has ‘long pushed for close US-India ties and I am glad we are moving in the right direction.’
“India and the US share so much common values -- and the US and India face similar threats and the US and India share similar outlooks in terms of the international scene.”
Engel said, “So, I look forward with all my colleagues to working to strengthen India-US relations.”
The only Indian American in the US Congress, Dr Amerish ‘Ami’ Bera, who at the end of the celebration received news that he had survived and retained his seat in California’s 7th District by a mere 1,432 votes spoke of the significance of celebrating the festival of lights on Capitol Hill.
“To celebrate Diwali here at a time when Washington, DC, needs to see that light, needs us to move forward, to see us work together, how we gain knowledge,” Bera said. “Celebrating the second Diwali in Capitol Hill showcased the vibrant Indian American community and as the Indian American community moves forward, I am proud to represent my community,” he added.
California Republican Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke of how he and Crowley, who had co-chaired the India Caucus on several occasions, had grown it to over 160 members and made it the largest national caucus in the US Congress.
He couldn’t resist mentioning his several meetings with Modi during the Prime Minister visit to New York and Washington, DC and even recalled his trip to Bhuj a date after the devastating earthquake there and meeting with the dynamic Modi who was the chief minister of Gujarat then, and thereafter marvelling how Modi had not only rebuilt the state but made it one of the leading pro-growth and market-oriented states in India.
African American legislator, Democrat Gregory Meeks who represents Queens, New York, and boasts that his is the largest Indian American constituency, said, coming to the Diwali celebration and being among Indians had a special meaning.
“For me, personally, and as a member of the US Congress, had it not been for Mahatma Gandhi and the principles of non-violence that was followed by (civil rights leader) Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, then I and the 45 members of the Congressional Black Caucus would not be in the US Congress right now,” said Meeks.
Crowley, harkened to the significance of Diwali where one “Celebrates light over darkness, good over evil,” and observed that “the beauty of Diwali is that it shares so much in commonalities with the other great religions of the world -- in Christmas we know that lights play such a special role and Hannakuh as well where lights are so special at this time of the year.”
“So, it’s bringing all these traditions together that somehow, we do recognise the beauty of light and what it means.”
Crowley also recognised Dr Vivek Murthy “as the next Surgeon General of the United States,” even though Murthy’s confirmation by the Senate continues to be limbo a year after President Obama nominated him to the post.
Narasimhan showered kudos on Crowley, saying he was the live-wire behind the celebration and that “without him, this wouldn’t have happened. He is the inspiration.”
Crowley predicted, “This celebration will get bigger and bigger every year. I promised last year that it will not be a one-off -- just do it once and forget.”
“I said we would do it as long as I am here and I know that once we’ve set the spark and the flame it lit, that this light will continue to shine in the years and years to come.”
The government of India was represented by Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in Washington, DC, who in extending greetings from the government and people of India, said, “It is the second time I am honoured to be here at the Congressional Diwali celebrations.”
He said several speakers had referred to the visit of Prime Minister Modi to the US and thanked the lawmakers for being present at the MadisonSquareGarden event.
Sandhu conveyed the Indian government’s pledge to grow the India-US relationship and predicted that the even more results of this strategic partnership would become even clearer by the end of the year as it continues to grow exponentially.
He also said, “I join with all my friends here in praying for the success of the India Caucus and praying for the success of all of you.”
Photograph: Congressman Joe Crowley with Sri Shiva Vishnu Temple volunteers who helped to organise the Congressional Diwali celebration on Capitol Hill.
