Washington:
US Vice President Kamala Harris attributed her success to the dedication, determination and courage of her Indian-American mother.
Ms. Harris is the first US Vice President of Indian descent.
“It is because of her dedication, her determination and her courage that I stand before you as Vice President of the United States,” said Ms. Harris at a gathering of more than 200 prominent Indian Americans at a Diwali White House reception. hosted by President Joe Biden. and First Lady Jill Biden.
She remembered her frequent visits to Chennai as a child and celebrating Diwali with grandparents.
“I have such fond memories of celebrating Diwali as a child. Like many of you, we would go to India every two years, avoiding the monsoon season, and we would go for Diwali. I have such fond memories of waking up in the middle of the night, me and my sister Maya, and of course going to the oldest of our family, our grandfather.
“And later in the day, my mom gave us little stars and we took to the streets to celebrate this very important occasion,” she recalls.
Ms. Harris said her mother arrived in the US at the age of 19 for studies. “She came alone. But her goal was to become a breast cancer researcher. And in our country, in this country, she built a life. She got her PhD, excelled in her field and raised my sister and me,” said Ms. Harris.
Describing Diwali as a “holiday of hope”, she said the festival helps one see the light in the world, in each other and in themselves. “We are also reminded to shine our light in the darkness to fight for peace, for justice, for understanding.” “Even as powerful forces work to sow hatred and division, we remember that in these moments when we see darkness, our light shines brightest. That’s part of what reminds us of Diwali. In moments of darkness we see the light,” she said.
On the occasion, Harris called on the people to realize the ideals of freedom, democracy and equality.
Ms Harris had hosted more than 100 Indian Americans at her residence for Diwali celebrations on Friday. She not only decorated the entire residence of the Marine Observatory with diyas, but also lit little stars with the guests.
President Biden appreciated Harris for often mentioning her mother in her speeches.
“And one of the things I admire most about Kamala is that she often talks about her mother,” he said. Mrs. Harris celebrated her birthday last week. “She turned 30,” Joe Biden said jokingly to the guests’ laughter.
“We know that your mother is always with you. Yes always. And I want to thank you for the courage it took for her and for so many of you out there to actually pick up your families and move in and start the journey to America,” said Joe Biden.
“It’s pretty amazing how many sacrifices have been made to leave everything behind and choose to believe the idea that this country has a unique place over opportunity,” he added. Joe Biden recalled that Diwali was one of the last events he hosted at the Vice President’s Naval Observatory in late November 2016.
“It was the first Diwali reception ever held there. I am an Irish Catholic and open our home for holidays observed by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs…that night we were joined by Muslims, Christians and people representing diversity and diaspora here in America from all over the world, including the then newly elected Indian-American congressmen, two of whom are here today, Ro (Khanna) and Raja (Krishnamoorthi),” he recalls.