American Congressman urges U.S. Post to lighten up and issue Diwali stamp

VANCOUVER DESI

U.S. Democratic Rep. Ami Bera would like to see the United States Postal Service issue a Diwali stamp. Submitted photo

Just lighten up already!

You can almost imagine Ami Bera, the newly elected Indian-American member of the U.S. House of Representatives, voicing his exasperation that way at the fact that America does not yet have a stamp commemorating Diwali.

Known as India’s festival of light, Diwali is observed throughout the world by Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Buddhists, but the U.S. Postal Service has not yet recognized it with a stamp as it has other major religious holidays such as Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Eid.

So Bera, along with two other Democratic members of Congress, Carolyn Maloney and Grace Meng, have co-sponsored a resolution for the issue of a postage stamp to mark Diwali.

The resolution states: “One of the world’s oldest religious holidays, Diwali symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance and it deserves to be honoured with a postage stamp of its own.”

Canada has issued a Diwali stamp for the last two years.

- With a file from IANS

Tags: Buddhists, Christians, Christmas, Diwali, Eid, Hanukkah, Hindus, Jains, Kwanzaa, Sikhs, U.S. Postal Service