At Last, Diwali Stamp Issued by United States Postal Service

While Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is a good two months away, the United States Postal Service has made an announcement that has delighted its Indian-American population.

The stamp will be issued on October 5 and will be marked with a ceremony at the Consulate General of India in NY, according to the Postal Service.

Diwali, which is celebrated with gifts, feasts and fireworks in addition to the traditional lamps depicted on the stamp, falls on the new moon between mid-October and mid-November each year.

USPS Sally Andersen-Bruce of CT photographed the “diya” and Greg Breeding of Virginia designed the stamp, with William Gicker of Washington serving as the project’s art director.The Diwali stamp is a result of “years and years of hard work”, Maloney said yesterday.

Greg Breeding of Charlottesville, Virginia, designed the stamp and William J Gicker from Washington postal service was the project’s art director, a statement said.

Maloney emphasized that the stamp would also be a “very important revenue generator” for the Usa postal department. Soon, a long-hoped-for goal will be a stickum-backed reality of less than a square inch: a new postage stamp recognizing the holiday of Diwali. This Forever stamp will also be equal in value to the current First Class Mail 1-ounce price. It’s hard for a petition to make the cut: the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee receives about 40,000 stamp suggestions every year and only recommends about 25 to the postmaster general, Saunders said. Maloney said the stamp was long overdue as Diwali was celebrated by millions around the world and will be a very important revenue generator for the United States postal department. The organization also launched an online campaign encouraging Indian Americans to call and write their elected officials on this subject.

The efforts in the Indian-American community had been spearheaded by Ranju Batra, who as chair of the Diwali stamp project and with the help of other community leaders, got tens of thousands of signatures for petitions to issue the stamp.

“Indiaspora lauds Rep. Maloney for introducing House Resolutions in Congresses to urge USPS to release the Diwali Stamp”. The sale of the Diwali stamp could provide the USPS with a sorely-needed revenue surge.

“I applaud the Postal Service for this meaningful recognition of Diwali, a holiday important to Indian-Americans in Texas and across the country”, Cornyn said in a statement. But, Christians, Jews, and Muslims aren’t the only American religious communities.