Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney deserves gratitude of the entire Indian American community for her principled and laudable support for a Diwali commemorative stamp. Maloney has spent quite some years now to get the stamp used. Rightly has she reminded the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) of the United States Postal Service (USPS) that there should be no hitch in issuing a Diwali stamp when the USPS has already issued commemorative stamps for holidays like Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza and Eid.

She has driven home to the USPS that Diwali is one of the oldest holidays in the world , celebrated by over one billion Indians throughout the world, including the three million who live in the United States. In January, 2013 Maloney introduced in the House of Representatives H. Res 47 to call on the CSAC to acknowledge the three million Indian Americans in the United States by issuing a commemorative stamp.

The resolution enjoys bi-partisan support and has 11 cosponsors. It has been referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, on which Maloney sits as a senior member. The Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) of the United States Postal Service (USPS) will meet on July 28 to consider issuing new stamps. It will help the Congresswoman if the Indian American community reached out to lawmakers in their constituencies to enlist their support for Maloney’s resolution.

Let no effort be spared to have the Diwali stamp issued on the occasion of 2013 Diwali. It surely will be a very satisfying and fulfilling achievement for the entire Indian Diaspora. So, resolve today to give Maloney’s effort a powerful push.