<p>Rakesh Bhatt, a Hindu priest at the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Maryland opened the third day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Wednesday (Aug 21) with a prayer as chants of 'Om shanti Om' reverberated across the&nbsp;United Center.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bhatt was invited to the stage following the striking of the gavel and delivered the prayers before the delegates in Sanskrit and later explained their significance in English.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bhatt also invoked the concept of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" which translates to "the whole world is one family" and&nbsp;urged Maerica to choose a leader who believes in the Vedic concept.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We should be in unison. Let our minds think together. Let our hearts beat as one. All for the betterment of society. May this make us powerful so we can unite and make our nation proud," said Bhatt in his speech.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We are one universal family. Truth is our foundation and always prevails. Lead us from unreal to real, from darkness to the light, and from death to immortality. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti," he added.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rakesh Bhatt, A Hindu priest with Sri Shiva Vishnu Temple, delivers invocation in Sanskrit &amp; English at the start of Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago.<br />
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“Even if we have differences we have to be united &amp; it moves us towards justice for all.We are1universal family. <a href="https://t.co/sulYxxJ5qu">pic.twitter.com/sulYxxJ5qu</a></p>
— Anubhav Saxena (@anubhav_shah) <a href="https://twitter.com/anubhav_shah/status/1826456992246104346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Democratic National Convention showcases a Hindu Prayer on stage for the first time ever from Sri Rakesh Bhatt of Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Maryland <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DNC2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DNC2024</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Election2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Election2024</a> <a href="https://t.co/cpavw8jwB2">pic.twitter.com/cpavw8jwB2</a></p>
— Diya TV (@DiyaTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/DiyaTV/status/1826406036133347750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p><br />
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-elections-2024-is-tim-walz-chinas-man-in-america-gravitas-748160" target="_blank"><strong>Watch |&nbsp;US Elections 2024: Is Tim Walz China’s man in America? | Gravitas</strong></a></p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-elections-2024-is-tim-walz-chinas-man-in-america-gravitas-748160/embed" width="560"></iframe></p>

<h2><strong>Who is Rakesh Bhatt?</strong>&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Bhatt who is fluent in Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Tulu, hails from the&nbsp;Madhwa priest family. He has a strong foundation in religious studies and rituals after training under&nbsp;his guru, Pejavar Swamiji of Udupi Ashta Matha.</p>

<p>He is believed to be proficient in&nbsp;Rig Veda and Tantrasaara (Maadhva) Agama and has&nbsp; bachelor's degree in English and Kannada from Osteen College. He&nbsp;worked briefly at Badrinath and Raghavendra Swami Koil, Salem, before joining Sri Sri Vishnu Temple in July 2013. Bhatt moved to the US from the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tim-walz-officially-accepts-nomination-as-vp-at-democratic-national-convention-752106"><strong>Also read |&nbsp;Tim Walz officially accepts nomination as VP at Democratic National Convention</strong></a></p>

<p>Notably, during the Republican National Convention (RNC) last month,&nbsp;Sikh leader Harmeet Dhillon had also delivered a prayer. However, a section of hardcore MAGA supporters slammed her for invoking a god other than Jesus Christ.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Rakesh Bhatt, a Hindu priest at the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Maryland opened the third day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Wednesday (Aug 21) with a prayer as chants of 'Om shanti Om' reverberated across the United Center.

Rakesh Bhatt, a Hindu priest at the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Maryland opened the third day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Wednesday (Aug 21) with a prayer as chants of 'Om shanti Om' reverberated across the United Center. Bhatt was invited to the stage following the striking of the gavel and delivered the prayers before the delegates in Sanskrit and later explained their significance in English. Bhatt also invoked the concept of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" which translates to "the whole world is one family" and urged Maerica to choose a leader who believes in the Vedic concept. "We should be in unison. Let our minds think together. Let our hearts beat as one. All for the betterment of society. May this make us powerful so we can unite and make our nation proud," said Bhatt in his speech. "We are one universal family. Truth is our foundation and always prevails. Lead us from unreal to real, from darkness to the light, and from death to immortality. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti," he added. Rakesh Bhatt, A Hindu priest with Sri Shiva Vishnu Temple, delivers invocation in Sanskrit & English at the start of Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago. “Even if we have differences we have to be united & it moves us towards justice for all.We are1universal family. pic.twitter.com/sulYxxJ5qu — Anubhav Saxena (@anubhav_shah) August 22, 2024 × Democratic National Convention showcases a Hindu Prayer on stage for the first time ever from Sri Rakesh Bhatt of Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Maryland #DNC2024 #Election2024 pic.twitter.com/cpavw8jwB2 — Diya TV (@DiyaTV) August 21, 2024 × Watch | US Elections 2024: Is Tim Walz China’s man in America? | Gravitas Who is Rakesh Bhatt? Bhatt who is fluent in Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Tulu, hails from the Madhwa priest family. He has a strong foundation in religious studies and rituals after training under his guru, Pejavar Swamiji of Udupi Ashta Matha. He is believed to be proficient in Rig Veda and Tantrasaara (Maadhva) Agama and has bachelor's degree in English and Kannada from Osteen College. He worked briefly at Badrinath and Raghavendra Swami Koil, Salem, before joining Sri Sri Vishnu Temple in July 2013. Bhatt moved to the US from the southern Indian city of Bengaluru. Also read | Tim Walz officially accepts nomination as VP at Democratic National Convention Notably, during the Republican National Convention (RNC) last month, Sikh leader Harmeet Dhillon had also delivered a prayer. However, a section of hardcore MAGA supporters slammed her for invoking a god other than Jesus Christ. (With inputs from agencies)

Who is Rakesh Bhatt? Hindu priest who started DNC Day 3 in Chicago with Vedic prayers

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Who is Rakesh Bhatt? Hindu priest who started DNC Day 3 in Chicago with Vedic prayers

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