Soon Deepawali could be a federal holiday in US

Deepawali could soon be a federal holiday in the US. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney will introduce a bill in US Congress, which aims to establish Diwali as a federal holiday.   Ms Maloney promised at the Deepawali celebration  in Washington on  Tuesday to honor the lawmakers of Indian origin. The event was organised by Indiaspora, a non-profit organization, Having helped with making the Diwali stamp a reality in 2016, the US Rep from New York, pointed out that it was one of the highest selling stamps bringing mega dollars to USPS. To her credit also goes introducing a bill this August to honor Mahatma Gandhi with the Congressional gold medal, the highest civilian honor in the country.

If the bill gets approval, the holiday would be observed in federal institutions, with significant populations that celebrate Deepwali and honour the cultural heritage of millions of Indian Americans who celebrate the holiday in the United States. M R Rangaswami, founder and Executive Director of Indiaspora, said that impressively increasing numbers of Indian Americans are entering public service, breaking the tradition of being just doctors, engineers or IT professionals. In the 2020 election, over 300 Indian Americans ran for office at various levels. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy called for more Indian Americans to run for office, “No matter winning or losing, just fighting for the right reasons is more important.” According to reports, Invitees were clad in Indian festive attire. Colorful silk sarees and kurtas reverberated the rise of Indian voices in public service in the US. The event saluted those choosing to work at every level — as school board members, state legislators, staff members working in the Congress and city halls beyond Washington. The Biden administration has at least 80 Indian Americans serving in different positions.