Touched parents' feet, praised Hindu deity: 5 highlights from Kash Patel's FBI nomination hearing
1. Touched parents' feet, praised Hindu deity before hearing
Ahead of the hearing, Patel greeted his parents with the phrase "Jai Shri Krishna" and touched their feet in a traditional Indian gesture of respect.
The phrase "Jai Shri Krishna," a Sanskrit expression meaning "Victory to Krishna," is a common greeting among followers of Hinduism, particularly those who worship the Hindu deity.
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In his opening remarks, Patel acknowledged his parents' sacrifice in traveling to support him.
"It means the world that you guys are here," he said. "I wouldn't be here today without their guidance, their unwavering support and their relentless love."
He described his family's history in which his father fled the "genocidal dictatorship" of Idi Amin in Uganda and his mother, Anna, who originally hails from Tanzania before the couple immigrated to New York.
Patel said his parents quickly taught them to acclimate to life in the United States.
"We were raised in a household of my father's seven siblings, their spouses, and at least half a dozen children. That's the only way we knew how to do things at the time — the Indian way. But we would soon learn the American way."
