WASHINGTON, D.C., April 11, 2015 (Times of India): In an event unique in the history of US politics and of Hawaii, the country’s 50th state, a lawmaker from the famed island was married in a Hindu ceremony on Thursday, with the chanting of Vedic mantras and the dappling backwaters of the Pacific bouncing off lush green mountains in the backdrop. In a sylvan, secluded spot on the eastern shore of Oahu, at a historic site that native Hawaiian people used as a fish pond, Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, 33, and her fiance Abraham Williams, 26, a cinematographer she met on the campaign trail, were married by a Hindu priest.
The ceremony, according to those who attended it, concluded with a traditional yoga kirtan with friends and family celebrating the newly married couple with Hawaiian song and dance, followed by a vegetarian meal. The event was attended by the couple’s closest friends and a smattering of lawmakers, including both Democratic and Republican leadership in Congress. Guests included BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, who flew in from India with a special message and gift from PM Narendra Modi, and India’s acting ambassador and charge d’affairs in Washington, Taranjit Sandhu.
Although the number of Hindus living in Hawaii is relatively small, with only a few Hindu temples in the entire state, Gabbard has been vocal and transparent about her faith. She took oath in Congress on the Bhagavad Gita, and presented the same copy to PM Modi when she called on him in New York.