Indian Americans will celebrate the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States with a glittering and power-packed ball in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2017.
The “Indian American Presidential Inaugural Ball” will be held at Mandarin Oriental in southwest Washington, a few blocks away from the Capitol Hill, where Donald Trump will take the oath of office the same morning.
The event, the second ever Indian American inaugural ball, is hosted by a group of nonpartisan Indian American groups, including the US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) and the newly launched Indo-American Center.
“This has been an amazing election cycle not just for the passions exhibited at the Presidential elections but [also for] the record number of Indian Americans who have been elected to Congressional offices as well the appointment of Indian Americans to key positions of the upcoming Trump administration,” Sanjay Puri, Chairman of USINPAC, told The American Bazaar. “It is a reason to celebrate and recognize the contributions of these and other members of the Indian American community!”
EVENT DETAILS
What: Indian American Presidential Inaugural Ball
When: January 20, 2017
Where: Mandarin Oriental, Washington, DC
Price: $250 & $500; $350 & $700 when one purchases online
Ticket details: Available on the event site http://ipb2017.com/
“With the Trump presidency on the anvil, America and the world is ready for a disruptive shakeup which seems to be shaping really well,” Vinson X. Palathingal, Executive Director of the Indo-American Center, said. “As the entire country has woken up in anticipation, we Indian Americans, being one of the most accomplished ethnic groups in the United States, also need to celebrate.”
Palathingal, who campaigned for Trump during the general election campaign, said the ball is also an opportunity to announce the arrival of the community. “With five Indian Americans in the new congress and two appointees in the Trump administration already, Indian Americans have finally arrived in Washington, DC and we see this event as an opportunity to announce it loud and clear.”
A host of dignitaries, among them political heavyweights, top business executives and community leaders are expected attend the event, Palathingal and another co-host, Harsh Sethi, CEO of the Chantilly, VA,-based Punita Group, told The Bazaar.
The likely attendees include Gov. Nikki Haley, who was tapped by the President-elect to serve as the next US Ambassador to the United Nations, and Seema Verma, who was picked by Trump to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, as well as the five Indian Americans who will serve in the next US Congress. They are California Democrat Kamala Harris, who was elected to the US Senate; Ami Bera, who won from the Golden State’s 7th congressional district for the third time; and the newly elected members of Congress Ro Khanna (District 17, California), Pramila Jayapal (District 7, Washington), and Raja Krishnamoorthi (District 8, Illinois).
It is the second time Mandarin Oriental will be the venue of an Indian American inaugural ball. In 2013, the nonpartisan Indiaspora had hosted a ball at the same venue.
Inaugural balls have been part and parcel of presidential inaugurations for 228 years. During the first inauguration of President Barack Obama, there were 10 officials and more than a hundred unofficial balls.
The American Bazaar is a media partner of the Indian American Presidential Inaugural Ball.
Source- The American Bazaar
