The United States Postal Service (USPS) has issued a new Forever stamp celebrating Diwali, featuring a colourful rangoli created by Indian artist Sangita Bhutada. The release marks the second time the US postal service has dedicated a stamp to the festival of lights, with the first one issued in 2016.The US Embassy in India highlighted the new stamp in a post on X on Thursday, describing it as a Forever stamp celebrating Diwali. The stamp was officially unveiled on October 21 at the Embassy of India in Washington DC, in the presence of Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra and USPS senior vice-president Shibani Gambhir.The stamp features an eight-foot rangoli designed by Bhutada, a native of India who has been practising the traditional art form for nearly 30 years and is based in the Houston area. The artwork uses blue, orange, green, red and white colours against a purple background. It was created using coloured sand and starch-based powders and took eight to 10 days to complete.Photographer Bijay Dixit captured the original artwork, while Jennifer Arnold designed the stamp. William J Gicker served as its art director. The USPS has printed 20 million stamps, which are being sold in sheets of 20.The stamp is part of the Forever series, meaning it will remain valid for mailing a one-ounce first-class letter within the US even if postal rates increase in the future. Each stamp carries a value of 82 cents, with a sheet of 20 priced at $16.40.
