Minneapolis, MN (October 15, 2009) - As a regularly featured blogger on the Washington Post/Newsweek's "On Faith" blog, Dr. Aseem Shukla, member of HAF's Board of Directors, has the opportunity to provide a Hindu viewpoint on various issues of faith. Below is Dr. Shukla's latest blog. Please post your comments directly on the Washington Post/Newsweek "On Faith" site by clicking here.
The Dow Jones reached a significant milestone yesterday, and news outlets were abuzz with excitement. Olympia Snowe's vote for the Baucus bill was plenty fodder for the twenty-four news cycles. But, for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists in the United States, an epochal event transpired at the White House yesterday afternoon that cannot slip notice.
Lead me from Untruth to Truth.
Lead me from darkness to light.
Lead me from death to immortality.
(from the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad — I.iii.28)
As the ethereal sounds of a Hindu priest's chanting of this Sanskrit prayer from ancient Hindu scripture filled the East Room, President Barack Obama lit the ceremonial White House diya, as he called it, with dozens of Asian, Indian and Hindu Americans in attendance. Never before had a sitting U.S. President personally celebrated the Diwali holiday, and with that one gesture, two million Hindu Americans felt a bit more like they belonged--one more reason to feel at home. Maybe that cliche that all of our diversity adds unique patches to the American quilt is not as tired as we thought.
Diwali is among the most widely celebrated festivals in India and spans all of the Dharmic religious traditions. Rows of diyas, or earthen lamps, line the homes of celebrants as prayers are offered, and for many, a New Year on Hindu calendars is marked. For the seeker, the spiritual significance is clear: the lamps symbolize the quest for knowledge and goodness that mimics the inner Divine and eradicates the darkness of ignorance and false values. As the President said in his address, of course, one does not forget the joyous merriment Diwali celebrations entail: fireworks light up the dark skies of a new moon night, gifts are exchanged and sweets savored.
Jains mark the holiday as a time of contemplation when the last of their Tirthankaras, the great teachers of dharma, attained liberation. Sikhs celebrate Diwali as the day that their sixth founding Guru, or teacher, was released from the captivity of a Mughal emperor five centuries ago.
The White House Diwali celebration tradition began during the George W. Bush Administration. And while the day was always a boisterous affair, despite years of requests, then President Bush never attended the event, consigning the task to cabinet members or close assistants. But for President Obama--the first to mouth the words, "Hindu" as early as his inauguration speech, hope was high that he would attend the event this year--and he delivered.
Of course, Hindus do not need a President to validate their traditions or feel more American. The religious pluralism of this nation may be under attack at times, but strong advocacy, thousands of temples and rising prosperity testify to a community's confidence. But the Hindu American journey to the White House mirrors the path that all major faith traditions took towards real integration into this country's religious landscape. From Preeta Bansal to Neal Katyal and Kal Penn to Vivek Kundra and Rajiv Shah, high profile Hindu Americans have reached the highest echelons within the Obama Administration. This year's Diwali ceremony surely happened because of their efforts, and may be interpreted as a nod to their religious heritage. There is an understanding that now at two million, Hindu American is a marginal demographic no longer.
The Hindu American Foundation, of which I am a part, indeed felt honored and privileged to celebrate in the East Room with President Obama yesterday, and pushed hard two years ago as both chambers of the U.S. Congress passed a resolution recognizing the significance of Diwali. The spirit of that resolution was signed, so to speak, by the President. And in the future, when the next woman is sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice, here's hoping that no one will care that she's Hindu!
"We're going to run out of things to be bitter about," someone posted on a blog popular with young Indian Americans last night, and I knew, at least for a moment, our President and his Administration had done right.
Please click here to directly access Dr. Shukla's blog and to post your comments.