[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17038]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           CELEBRATING DIWALI

  (Mr. BERA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BERA. Mr. Speaker, next week is Diwali. The annual festival of 
lights is celebrated by more than 2 million Indian Americans and more 
than 1 billion people worldwide.
  Tomorrow more than a thousand Indian Americans will descend on 
Capitol Hill to celebrate Diwali. It is an opportunity to celebrate the 
accomplishments of the South Asian community, accomplishments in 
business, technology, health care, and academics.
  All across this Nation, in communities small and large, you will see 
those small-business owners, those academics, those doctors. It is a 
chance to give back to a country that has provided so much opportunity 
to immigrants over the generations, including the Indian American 
community.
  For a community that has benefited so much, it is great to see them 
participating in the political process, celebrating those 
accomplishments, and giving back to a country that means so much to us.
  Mr. Speaker, let's celebrate. Let's celebrate who we are as 
Americans. Let's celebrate a dynasty of immigrants, one successive 
generation after another, moving this country forward.

                          ____________________