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

    Bangladesh Arrests Over 3,000, Hasina Vows No Mercy To Those Behind Killings

    Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday vowed to hunt down those behind the recent targeted killings of bloggers and minorities as police detained over 3,000 people, including 37 suspected Islamists, on the first day of a nationwide anti-terrorist drive.

    Bangladesh Arrests Over 3,000, Hasina Vows No Mercy To Those Behind Killings

    US Christens PM Modi’s Vision Of Indo-US Ties As 'Modi Doctrine

    US Christens PM Modi’s Vision Of Indo-US Ties As 'Modi Doctrine
    escribing the just concluded US visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “historic”, the Obama administration has christened his vision of Indo-US ties that has overcome the “hesitations of history” and working for the betterment of the global good as “Modi Doctrine”.

    US Christens PM Modi’s Vision Of Indo-US Ties As 'Modi Doctrine

    Eyeing Punjab Election, AAP Makes Punjabi Compulsory In Delhi Govt Schools

    Eyeing Punjab Election, AAP Makes Punjabi Compulsory In Delhi Govt Schools
    In order to encourage Punjabi, the advertisement mentions that AAP govt has made it compulsory to have at least one Punjabi teacher in all government schools in New Delhi.

    Eyeing Punjab Election, AAP Makes Punjabi Compulsory In Delhi Govt Schools

    Why Girls Of Pakistan Are Scared Of Their Mothers?

    Why Girls Of Pakistan Are Scared Of Their Mothers?
    Two young girls stand inches away from charred bricks and ash, staring at the detritus of a "kind and gentle" teenager who taught them the Quran but was savagely burned by her mother for marrying the man of her choice.

    Why Girls Of Pakistan Are Scared Of Their Mothers?

    2 Hindu Temples Vandalised In Malaysia

    2 Hindu Temples Vandalised In Malaysia
    The Sri Dharma Munisverar temple was reported to have been damaged in today's incident though the extent of the damage was yet to be ascertained

    2 Hindu Temples Vandalised In Malaysia

    Indian-Origin Physician Paresh Patel Jailed For Taking $174,000 Bribe In US

    Indian-Origin Physician Paresh Patel Jailed For Taking $174,000 Bribe In US
    Paresh Patel, 55 of New Jersey had previously pleaded guilty before US District Judge Mary Cooper to an information charging him with violating the Anti-Kickback Statute.

    Indian-Origin Physician Paresh Patel Jailed For Taking $174,000 Bribe In US