They urged them to respect diversity and equality, and issue Diwali stamp also. Diwali Stamp Project Chair Ranju Batra of New York, M.R. Rangswami of Indiaspora and several Indian organizations all over the United States collected thousands of petitions from the members of the community and many thousands signed the electronic version of the petition. Some U.S Congressmen wholeheartedly supported the demand of the Indian Americans and sent letters to the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee. In 2015, U.S Senate Resolution 113 was introduced “Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend the issuance of, and the United States Postal Service should issue, a commemorative stamp in honor of the holiday of Diwali.” It was thus a moment of pride that the relentless pursuit for the issuance of a Diwali stamp culminated in USPS announcement to release the stamp on October 5, 2016 to commemorate the Hindu festival of Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights.

The Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) is appointed by the Postmaster General to evaluate all stamp proposals and recommend stamp subjects to the Postmaster General, who makes the final decision. One of the important functions of the CSAC is to ensure that every proposal is given the same level of consideration, “regardless of any professional lobbying efforts, letter-writing campaigns, petitions, and/or appeals to influential politicians.” In spite of the stated role of the CSAC, Indian American community activists continued to educate those who have the power to change old rules to accommodate new realities to achieve their goal.

Diwali is celebrated by over one billion people in the world including over 2 million Indian Americans. Hindus celebrate Diwali as it commemorates the return of Lord Rama with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, from his 14-year exile after killing the demon king Ravana. Thus, it symbolizes the victory of good over evil and is celebrated with great fervor by one and all. The Sikhs celebrate Diwali as it marks the release of the sixth Guru, Hargobind Rai in October, 1619 from the fort of Gwalior where he was imprisoned by Emperor Jahangir, along with 52 Hindu Kings. The Guru also managed to get all the Hindu kings freed at the same time. In Jainism, the occasion celebrates the attainment of Nirvana by Lord Mahavir.