Fwd: US Deepavali Stamp Proposed By Congressman

[Guest guest]

>"Ashwini Kumar" <ashwini_kumarr

>US Deepavali Stamp Proposed By Congressman

>Mon, 12 Aug 2002 22:54:41 -0400

>

>

>

>. US Deepavali Stamp Proposed by Congressman

>Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18486173

>WASHINGTON, D.C., August 8, 2002: Possibly more than two million Hindus in

>America, from India, Africa, Caribbean, Fiji and native-born, now celebrate

>Deepavali (Diwali), the festival of lights, each year at the end of October

>or the beginning of November. Backed by these numbers from a 2000 census,

>Gary Ackerman, top Democrat on the House International Relations

>Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, is advocating that the U.S.

>create a postage stamp to honor Deepavali. In a letter to Dr. Virginia

>Noelke, chairperson of the U.S. Citizens Stamp Advisory Commission,

>Ackerman

>said, "For Hindus, the holiday of Diwali is comparable in magnitude to

>Christmas for Christians," Congressman Ackerman was prompted to introduce

>the idea of a Diwali stamp by the New York-based Federation of Indian

>Associations. Amitabh Sharma, president of the India-American Cultural

>Association in Atlanta says, "A Diwali stamp is a symbol that 2.5 million

>Hindus in the U.S. would be happy about. It should be welcoming -- an open

>namaste (hands in welcome) with the diya (deepa, lamp)."

>

 

 

 

 

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