Who is Rakesh Bhatt? Hindu priest who started DNC Day 3 in Chicago with Vedic prayers
Rakesh Bhatt opens DNC Day 3
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 theUnited 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" andurged 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.
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Who is Rakesh Bhatt?
Bhatt who is fluent in Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Tulu, hails from theMadhwa priest family. He has a strong foundation in religious studies and rituals after training underhis guru, Pejavar Swamiji of Udupi Ashta Matha.
He is believed to be proficient inRig Veda and Tantrasaara (Maadhva) Agama and has bachelor's degree in English and Kannada from Osteen College. Heworked 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.
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)