SAN JOSE, California (Diya TV) — The City of San Jose are among hundreds of cities, states, countries and political leaders celebrating Diwali this year. San Jose will have the colors of the Indian flag on their tower next to City Hall for a full week.
Overall, celebrations in many places are a bit muted versus last year in light of the Israel-Hamas War.
In 2022, President Biden held the biggest White House Diwali celebration on record, but is not holding a public event this year.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a lavish affair in conjunction with Indiaspora in 2022.
But this year, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Verma held a scaled down Diwali event.
Vice President Kamala Harris held events at her Washington DC residence both years, but her remarks this year largely referred to the ongoing challenge in Middle East, in light of a few South Asians in the arts and entertainment declining their invitation to attend the celebration because a ceasefire accord has not been reached.
The ladies who publicly boycotted Diwali at the Vice President’s home, Rupi Kaur, Richa Moorjani, Payal Desai and Anjula Acharia, have been facing a backlash for their decision to connect Diwali with Middle East strife that has been ongoing for generations.
Here are some of the other notable figures globally expressing their Diwali greetings via X:
