Diwali stamp to be released by the United States Postal Service on October 5

A cause initiated 15 years ago by the Indian American community.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced the official release of a forever postage stamp commemorating the important Hindu, Jain and Sikh festival of Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, on October 5, in New York City.

The Indian Embassy in New York City will play host to the first-day ceremony. Sally Andersen-Bruce’s vivid photograph of a lit diya oil lamp serves as the focal point of Greg Breeding’s design, according to USPS. “Diwali” is shown in large white letters at the base of the lamp.

Diya lamps are typically made from clay and use “cotton wicks dipped in a clarified butter known as ‘ghee’ or in vegetable oils,” according to the Postal Service, reported Linn’s.

Diwali is a celebration of good vanquishing evil that takes place over five days in autumn.

USPS spokesman Mark Saunders told Linn’s that the Diwali stamp will be issued in a pane of 20. Additional technical details for the Diwali forever stamp were not yet available, he said.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) held a celebratory event on this momentous occasion and credited Indiaspora, among select others, for having fructified the Indian American community’s vision of having a Diwali Stamp in America, according to a press release.

Maloney also acknowledged the important role of community leaders in the New York City area, Ravi and Ranju Batra, for their terrific effort in keeping the cause alive till it was fulfilled.

“Indiaspora lauds Rep. Maloney for introducing House Resolutions in Congresses to urge USPS to release the Diwali Stamp. Her efforts played an important role in the eventual achievement of this cherished objective of the Indian-American community,” said Indiaspora founder MR Rangaswami, in a statement.

“This also shows the maturation of the Indian American community that is now three million strong! We have come of age and are getting more engaged in community issues and also becoming more politically active,” he added.

Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) said in a statement, “I am thrilled that the United States Postal Service has issued a stamp to celebrate Diwali. As Co-chair of the India Caucus in the House of Representatives and the only Indian-American currently serving in Congress, I am proud of all that our community has accomplished. Nearly a billion people around the world celebrate this Festival of Lights, including two million right here in the U.S., and this stamp represents the hard work and achievements of all Indian Americans.”

Dr. Shailendra Kumar, an Indian American physician based in Maryland, should also be credited for initiating this enduring cause in 2001. In 2007, the Indian American community cheered when the US Congress officially recognized Diwali’s significance, and in 2009, President Barack Obama lit the symbolic diya, or Diwali lamp, at the White House. In 2013, activists Ravi and Ranju Batra gathered over 400,000 online signatures calling for the stamp.

“In 2014, when community leaders approached Indiaspora, we made a commitment to making the Diwali stamp a reality. In 2015, Senate India Caucus co-chairs Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced Senate Resolution 113, calling for a Diwali Stamp in the U.S.

“Indiaspora’s community engagement resulted in over 10,000 letters and postcards being mailed to the USPS urging them to create and release a Diwali Stamp. Indiaspora also launched an online campaign via www.diwalistamp.com, encouraging Indian-Americans to call and write their elected officials on this subject. Indiaspora’s blog, social media and newsletters kept up the drumbeat.

Also in 2015, in conjunction with our partners at the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), Indiaspora volunteers walked the halls of Congress, meeting with elected officials and staff members at several hundred congressional offices, and convinced dozens of them to sign on to the congressional resolutions supporting the Diwali Stamp.

In conjunction with HAF and other organizations, Indiaspora also hosted a huge Diwali celebration in 2015 at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, where more than 50 Senators and Congressmen mingled with over 1,200 influential Indian-Americans.

Towards the end of 2015, Indiaspora and HAF sent a community letter signed by over 100 organizations to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee urging them to approve a Diwali Stamp,” the organization said in a release.

“This year, Diwali came early!” said Rangaswami.