Washington, Feb 2 (IANS) Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu-American to be elected to the US House of Representatives, has joined the co-sponsors of a House Resolution calling for the US Postal Service to issue a postage stamp to commemorate Diwali.
"The Diwali festival honours self-awareness, righteousness, and service to others before ourselves," she said noting the Indian "festival of lights" is observed by Hindus, Christians, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists in the United States, India, and around the world.
"This yearly festival is a time to celebrate the triumph of goodness and truth, and to reflect on the year," Gabbard said.
"It is only appropriate that we commemorate this widely observed holiday and its place in our nation's rich tapestry of religious and cultural diversity."
The resolution was originally sponsored by Ami Bera, the third ever Indian-American elected to the US House, along with two other fellow Democrats, Carolyn Maloney and Grace Meng.
The resolution calls on the citizens' stamp advisory committee, an entity of the US Postal Service, to issue a Diwali stamp, as it has done for other popular religious celebrations in the United States such as Christmas, Eid, Kwanzaa, and Hannukah.
"Additionally, one of the world's oldest religious holidays, Diwali symbolises the triumph of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance and it deserves to be honoured with a postage stamp of its own," it says.
Jai Khanna
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