Hindu American Foundation co-hosts annual Diwali on Capitol Hill 

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On the evening of November 13, the advocacy organization, Hindu American Foundation, co-hosted the annual Diwali on Capitol Hill event in Washington DC.

Organized by the spiritual organization BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, the event took place in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. It brought together together the community, as well as more than 20 lawmakers, to light diyas and share remarks in celebration of Diwali, a press release from HAF said.

Co-hosting the event alongside HAF were the Asian American Hotel Owners Association and the US Indian Community Event. Cosponsors of the event were The Art of Living, JAINA the Federation of Jain Associations of North America, Sikhs of America, and Shrimad Rajchandra Mission. Supporting organizations included the AJC Asia Pacific Institute, Indian American Relations Council, and the National India Hub.

Deepavali, a word derived from Sanskrit meaning a ‘row of lights’, or Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is widely celebrated in India, in South Asia, and across the Hindu diaspora, noted HAF. It symbolizes the victory of good over evil, inner light over spiritual darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. It is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists, and people of Indian heritage and non-Indian heritage, said HAF which has developed a toolkit among other things, to raise awareness about the festival in schools and elsewhere.