Close X
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
ADVT 
International

Sikh-American Delegate Harmeet Dhillon Begins Republican Party Convention 2nd Day With 'Ardaas'

Darpan News Desk IANS, 20 Jul, 2016 12:12 PM
    In a first for the Republican Party, a Sikh-American woman opened the second day of the national convention here with the 'Ardaas'- a Sikh prayer.
     
    Harmeet Dhillon, vice chairwoman of the California Republican Party, delivered the Sikh prayer on the national stage here in Punjabi and then translated it into English.
     
     
    It was the first such instance for the Republican National Convention but it was not the first time the 47-year-old San Francisco lawyer upended expectations, the Los Angeles Times reported.
     
    Born in Chandigarh, she emigrated with her parents to England and then to the Bronx, New York.
     
    Her father, an orthopedic surgeon, soon moved the family to rural Smithfield in central North Carolina.
     
    Taking the stage minutes before Donald Trump was officially nominated as the party's candidate for president, Dhillon led the convention in the Sikh prayer yesterday.
     
    After the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem, Dhillon took the stage and explained that it was Sikh custom to wear a headscarf for the traditional prayer.
     
    Dhillon, a delegate from San Francisco, covered her head with a shawl after stepping up to the podium.
     
    "I've said this prayer before I could walk," she said.
     
     
    The prayer- called Ardaas- is a Sikh prayer that is recited before performing or after undertaking any significant task. And Dhillon hoped her reading it would show that the Republican Party truly does have a big tent.
     
    "I think this is an inclusive party. I've never felt anything but included since Day One," Dhillon was quoted as saying by The Mercury News.
     
    Trump today clinched the Republican Party's presidential nomination to run against Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November polls, a stunning rise for an outsider after months of controversial campaigning that saw him crushing 16 well-established party rivals.
     
    Diversity was showcased by the party in Cleveland as when California's Republicans formally proclaimed their support for Trump, the state party turned to Shirley Husar, who is black, to make the announcement.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Beat The Press: Donald Trump's Contempt For Media Is Calculated

    Beat The Press: Donald Trump's Contempt For Media Is Calculated
    NEW YORK — Donald Trump's favourite nickname for the news media is the "dishonest press." He swaps in "disgusting press" from time to time.

    Beat The Press: Donald Trump's Contempt For Media Is Calculated

    Hillary Clinton Says Trump's Orlando Response Merely 'Bizarre Rants'

    He is the Republican nominee for president," she said, almost incredulously. "We don't need conspiracy theories and pathological self-congratulations

    Hillary Clinton Says Trump's Orlando Response Merely 'Bizarre Rants'

    'Yoga can counter violence in Caribbean schools'

    Delivering the keynote address at the launch of Yoga Day held at Trinidad Hilton Hotel, Nelson said yoga can curb violence and indiscipline in the schools. 

    'Yoga can counter violence in Caribbean schools'

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan Bans Tube Ads That Promote Unhealthy Body Image

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan Bans Tube Ads That Promote Unhealthy Body Image
    LONDON — Advertising that promotes an unhealthy body image will be banned on London's subway network, in a move that signals a backlash against suggestive marketing in public places.

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan Bans Tube Ads That Promote Unhealthy Body Image

    Obama: Anti-Muslim Rhetoric From Trump 'Not America We Want'

    WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says anti-Muslim rhetoric from presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is "not the America we want."

    Obama: Anti-Muslim Rhetoric From Trump 'Not America We Want'

    Raw, Painful Words From Abusive Men Featured In New Domestic Violence Campaign

    Raw, Painful Words From Abusive Men Featured In New Domestic Violence Campaign
    Halifax police have thrown their support behind a new, hard-hitting campaign that uses raw, unsettling statements from abusive men to spread a powerful message about how to stop domestic violence.

    Raw, Painful Words From Abusive Men Featured In New Domestic Violence Campaign