20 nations join hands to celebrate issuing of Diwali stamp

NEW YORK: Nearly 20 countries, including two UN Security Council permanent members - France and Great Britain - have joined hands to celebrate here the issuing of the Diwali postage stamp by the US.

The event co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of Belarus and India to the UN office along with the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine would attend the "Diwali" stamp dedication ceremony at the Trusteeship Council Chamber of the United Nations in New York on December 5, according to a media release.

The event would also honour Ranju Batra, chairman of the Diwali Stamp project, who worked behind the scene for several years campaigning before the US Postal Service (USPS) to issue a stamp in honour of the festival of lights. It has become the number one best seller in the history of USPS.

So far more than 170,000 Diwali stamps have been sold.

Other countries that have joined the event as co-sponsors are Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Germany, Honduras, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Moldova, Morocco, Panama, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Ukraine and Vietnam.

On October 6, the stamp was launched here by the USPS, capping seven-year-long efforts by Indian-Americans and influential American lawmakers to commemorate the festival of lights.