The annual Indiaspora Gala in Washington, D.C., which has traditionally celebrated the presidential inauguration, will instead this year celebrate the great advancement of Indian Americans in politics.
The Gala will celebrate the “Fab Five” Indian Americans recently elected or re-elected to the U.S. Congress: Sen.-elect Kamala Harris, Rep. Ami Bera, and Reps.-elect Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna and Raja Krishnamoorthi — as well as two Indian Americans named to senior positions in the Trump administration: Gov. Nikki Haley and Seema Verma.
Haley and Verma are Republicans. The others are Democrats.
The theme of the Gala will be “From Success to Significance” and will feature an “Indiaspora 2017 Leadership and Gala January 3. Indian cuisine, music and dancing will be part of the Gala festivities.
The daytime session of the Indiaspora Gala will include high-level keynote speakers and panelists discussing issues of importance to the Indian American community, such as the future of U.S.-India relations, Indian American success stories, the increasing popularity of elements of Indian culture in the United States, and the political maturation of the Indian American community.
“Indian Americans make up 1% of the U.S. population, and now we celebrate that they represent 1% of the U.S. Congress,” Indiaspora founder MR Rangaswami said to India West.
