Washington: Indians celebrated Diwali for the first time ever at the White House with President George W Bush's closest aide and counselor, Karl Rowe, presiding over the festivities, seen by some as a sign of the growing clout of the community in the United States.

Rowe, who is often referred to as the President's "Prime Minister", lighted the symbolic brass lamp inaugurating the festivities on October 23 evening in which some 70 select members of the Indian- American community were invited.

Underscoring the spirit and story of Diwali, Rowe, after conveying the personal greetings of President Bush, said that it was appropriate that the universal values of the festival were being observed in the Indian Treaty Room.

Rowe observed that the two countries faced the common challenge of "radical fundamentalism".

Indian-Americans are upbeat over the celebrations, which analysts say is just another sign of the growing clout of the community in Washington power circles and the burgeoning "special connection" between the two countries.

Welcoming the move, Dr Sudhir M Parikh, vice-president of Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE), said, "One of our dreams came true as the White House, for the first time, marked Diwali. Piyush Agarwal of Florida deserves special thanks for pushing this event with the White House and we are proud to be a partner in making this historic event happen."

PTI