By I.S. Saluja

“At the very end of every struggle comes a precious reward that is worth all your blood, sweat and tears.”  ― Edmond Mbiaka

Ranju Batra, Chair of Diwali Stamp Project, now also Chair of Diwali Foundation USA recalled with relish and pride the notification USPS issued on October 5, 2016. She showed it to  The Indian Panorama reporter who had visited her to know how she felt now that the Diwali stamp was two-year-old and was one of the hottest selling Forever stamps.

The notification read: “The U.S. Postal Service commemorated the joyous Hindu festival of Diwali by dedicating the Diwali Forever stamp today (October 5, 2016). The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony took place at the Consulate General of India in New York City.

The public is asked to share the news using the hashtag #DiwaliStamp.

“The Postal Service is honored to issue this Forever stamp that celebrates the Festival of Diwali,” said U.S. Postal Service Vice President of Mail Entry and Payment Technology Pritha Mehra. “We hope these stamps will light up millions of cards and letters as they make their journey through the mailstream.”

An overwhelmed Ranju Batra had then commented: “While this journey may have taken years, the Postal Service has issued a Diwali stamp that will continue to resonate forever.”

“Now for the first time there is a stamp that celebrates Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists as Americans forever. Our heartfelt thanks to all of those who have supported this stamp. The Diwali stamp will be a matter of pride for generations to come”, Ms Batra said.

Her man, Ravi Batra, always supportive of his wife had said on the launch of the Forever Stamp on October 5 , at the Indian Consulate: “Since the start of the American Revolution, destiny has beckoned the United States and India to be the closest allies. The Diwali Forever stamp represents nothing short of respectful inclusive indivisibility: E Pluribus Unum — within America and between the two sovereigns.”

Well, it is history. All that  the people now know is there is a beautiful stamp with a  lighted diya, symbolic of the most popular festival  of Diwali, and it fills Indians with pride and joy to have the kind of unique recognition of their culture in the US.

Diwali is a festival to celebrate victory of good over evil, of virtue over vice. It is a day of celebration of unity, like the unified flame of the diya.

Recalling her struggle for a Diwali stamp, Ranju said it was a grim struggle. At times, she felt frustrated. Even thought of giving up. But something in her told her to go on , and on, until the goal is achieved. And in this, support of her husband Ravi Batra made all the difference.

Of the many meetings she had with a number of officials and politicians, she referred to the one in particular. It was  a meeting in Washington, D.C., with the USPS team, that had been facilitated by Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney two weeks before the dedication ceremony, Batra said: ‘They asked me, ‘You were saying all along that the stamp is going to sell a whole lot, do you still believe that so many stamps are going to sell?’ I said, ‘Of course’, and they also asked me if I’d be willing to sell stamps on their behalf.”

She did, and by doing so, she created a history of sorts when she single-handedly sold 170,000 Diwali stamps.

“No other stamp has sold as much on day one as the Diwali stamp in USPS’ 200-year history,” Batra said,  noting that the postal service does not authorize any single person or an entity to sell stamps on their behalf, but this was one of the exceptions.

Batra said that in 2016, shortly after the stamp came out, she personally visited several post offices and requested them to display a sample at their respective offices.

The Diwali stamps are here to stay, stated Batra, adding that she has initiated a drive to check the availability of these stamps at every post office in the country. Her goal, she said, is to keep the light of the Diwali stamp shining bright.

“Two things are close to my heart, the Diwali stamp and Diwali holiday. I’ve already started working towards the holiday.”

Recalling the more than two-decade-long uphill battle undertaken by several Indian American community leaders/members before her to get the approval, Batra said that she was told it was a lost cause since their efforts yielded no results.

“I kept asking myself, ‘How is it possible that they are issuing other stamps but refusing to issue Diwali stamps when there are so many Indians and they are trying so hard?’ Then I found out they were trying the wrong way,” said Batra.

In a meeting with the USPS officials, arranged by Maloney, Batra said she questioned them about what could be done to set the ball rolling.

“They said, ‘Ranju, a postage stamp goes on paper.’ We were collecting signatures online. They could not care less. They want their stamps to be sold and we wanted our Diwali stamp.”

She then enlisted the help of other community members/organizations – who had put in years of hard work into this campaign – and started working towards a common goal.

“It wasn’t an online petition. We created paper petitions…it was going person to person, explaining them what we were doing, having their signatures, addresses…,” said Batra. “It wasn’t just Hindus or Indians. It was Christians, Muslims, Chinese, Koreans…Not a single person said they didn’t want to.”

In her final petition, which featured images of stamps celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and Eid, among others, she wrote: “We are very happy that you have issued all these stamps, and now it’s time for a Diwali stamp.”

“I kept pushing them to issue a Diwali stamp,” said Batra. “And finally, they heard it.”

Batra said that the Diwali stamp isn’t just a stamp, it represents something much larger.

“I feel the Diwali stamp is not just a celebration of a religion or a nation, but it is the spirit of inclusiveness and cultural understanding that it represents. I’m happy to say that Diwali stamp is here, and it is here forever. This will be a matter of pride for generations to come.”

“In this digital age, a small piece of paper called Diwali stamp celebrates the heritage of over a billion people. To me, Diwali stamp gives out a message of human unity and peace. I’d say Diwali has really put its stamp on America,” added Batra.

In 2017, Diwali Stamp made its way to the United Nations. On December 11, 2017, Belarus, Georgia and India joined with Diwali Foundation USA, as Co-Organizers,  to bestow “Power of One” Awards – essentially the “Oscars of Diplomacy” upon six exceptional diplomats: Amb. Maged Abdelaziz, Amb. Ion Botnaru, Amb. Lakshmi Puri, Amb. Matthew Rycroft, Amb. Nawaf Salam, & Amb. Yuriy Sergeyev.

This historic event was co-sponsored by Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Botswana, Cyprus, France, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malta, Morocco, Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Spain,

Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Permanent Observer State of Palestine, and International Atomic Energy Agency-NY.

Ranju takes legitimate pride in popularizing the already popular festival of Diwali, across the world, through the diplomats at the United Nations. I think, someday, the power of one -Ranju Batra-will be appreciated, recognized and saluted.

Ranju has been variously and honored for her immense contribution. To add to many,  August 8th, 2018 was declared Ranju Batra Day in Westchester County by Westchester County Executive.

(The author is the chief editor of The Indian Panorama. He can be reached at salujaindra@gmail.com)