Print
EmailStamps Commemorate Hinduism
by Susan Gosine
India has long been considered the land of Hindu mythology. Where magic and myth created legends of Gods and Goddesses that once walked the earth among ordinary humans. Where the cobra is king and the land is worshiped with great reverence.
Lord Shiva and his consort, Parvati.
Rich in colour, culture and history, it tells the story of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas who fought a war of good over evil as told in the Bhagavad Gita. And where such great sanskrit epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabarata took place. It is home of the legendary spiritual leader Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi, pioneer of satyagraha and ahimsa and the origins of the ancient Indian text on human sexual behavior, the Kama Sutra.
Stories that can jump out at you from a simple image. Perhaps a postage stamp. Or even seven, showcasing India through religion.
USA-Postage.com, an Atlanta based company, has recently launched seven stamps customised with Hindu deities for the Indian community in America. For the first time real U.S. postage will depict the exclusive designs of the deities on a colourful 20-stamp commemorative sheet.
The stamps priced at 44 cents single and $18.99 a book were created in seven spiritual designs: Sai Baba, Lord Venkateshwara, Goddess Lakshmi, Murugan, Vinayaka, Lord Shiva and his consort Parvathi (together) and Sri Krishna.
These are exclusive designs not available anywhere else, according to USA-Postage. They are valid U.S. postage and are produced by a technology called PC Postage.
Sai Baba
“Usa-postage.com is proud to be the first company to offer customized postage with divine images that have specific appeal to the Indian community living in the United States,” the company stated on its website.
“We are proud to serve the Indian community in USA with postage that reflects its culture, heritage and religious beliefs.
“Usa postage.com allows customers to put their favorite digital images on valid U.S. postage. The high-quality, adhesive-backed postage is produced using advanced printing technology within a short time frame. Use it for a wide variety of personal and business usages. The company targets small businesses, home offices and individuals in the Indian community in USA.
Goddess Lakshmi.
“We also try to encourage fund raising activity in the Indian community and temples across the USA,” it further stated and urged religious groups looking for a fund raising program for temples or a non–profit organizations to contact the company and “we will be happy to assist you with your program.”
Each sheet contains 20 PhotoStamps postage labels. The minimum order is one sheet. It also comes in custom rolls of up to 10,000 per roll. Each individual Postage label measures 1.9 inches in width and 1.4 inches in height, and the image area is 1.1 inches in width and 1.1 inches in height.
That’s in keeping with the company’s effort to achieve the largest possible image display while making the overall stamp dimensions reasonable for most applications.
Hindu organisations in America have been lobbying for a Divali stamp ever since the United States Postal Service (USPS) released a statement indicating that it would release a stamp in 2010 to honour Mother Teresa.
At that time last year, Rajan Zed, a Hindu pundit and president of the Universal Society of Hinduism based in Nevada had said that besides recognizing Nobel Peace Prize winner Mother Teresa, it was also an honour for India, since she was a citizen of India.
Lord Vinayaka
He called for the USPS to issue a stamp on Divali to honour the feelings and contributions of the estimated 2.5 million Hindus living in the United States of America and an estimated one billion more worldwide. “It was long overdue,” he said.
USPS choose Mother Teresa because she “had been a citizen of India since 1948″ and she “served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 years”. She was buried in Kolkata (India).
Sandip Roy, an editor with New America Media and host of its radio show New America Now on KALW 91.7 FM had also raised the issue in his blog when Hindus had petitioned for the Divali stamp. He wrote “if Muslims could get the Eid stamp, why not a Divali stamp? Divali is our Christmas said the Hindus.
“There was an online petition for signatures. According to SAJA (sajaforum.org) the petition was started by an Atlanta businessman Bob Ghosh, and it even got dead signatories, like former Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The US Postal Service told them respectfully that the signatures didn’t count.”
Lord Murugan
He further wrote, that the fight had started a long time ago, when a stamp was worth 37 cents, and pointed out that in 2009 the Hindu American Foundation had formally asked the US Postal Service’s Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee for a Divali stamp. In response the committee had indicated that it may not be possible until 2012.
While it may not have been the USPS that introduced the stamps it is indeed a welcome sight to see Hindu deities among famous and prominent historical figures. It is a clear indication that Hinduism is finding its place among mainstream America. A stamp with a Hindu deity will more than likely find its way to many regions of the world and will help to educate and inform, if not create an awareness of the immensity of Hinduism and its message of moksha.
Venkateshwara
I have seen custom designed postage stamps in every image possible in the US, but to see Hindu Gods and Goddesses on stamps, evokes an emotion that my ancestors with their traditions deeply entrenched in Hinduism and India can truly relate to.
It is representative of mystical India, its history and its heritage. And of every Hindu wherever they may live worldwide. My hope is that these stamps will find their way into as many homes that can afford them, not only those of Hindus.
Philatelists in USA and around the globe will be delighted to add such a worthy and innovative philatelic product, a one of a kind Hinduism replica to their worthy collections.
Sri Krishna
The stamps, available on high quality paper are adhesive-backed postage and can stick to mail by removing the thin film at the back.
Divali is the most popular Hindu festival. And Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world. Hopefully the USPS will follow the USA-Postage company and fast forward the divali stamp project, and maybe before 2012 we can all delight in the warmth of a lighted deya on a USPS stamp. Maybe.
The seven stamps are displayed here. They are not sold at the local post offices but can be ordered at USA-Postage.com. The order is shipped within seven to ten days.
Hi. My name is Susan Gosine-Herrera. I live in Queens, New York. This news blog is my way of highlighting all the interesting things, people and events I come across in this part of New York.
If you have an interesting immigrant story or know of one or of an interesting immigrant, I will be happy to feature that story in these pages. Just send an email and I will be in touch.
Meanwhile, live like a tourist, enjoy all you can, before you move on.
Hindu Deities on USA Postage Stamps « Struggle for Hindu Existence Says:
[...] Read details here. [...]
Posted on January 22nd, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Hindu Deities on Private Postage Stamps in USA. « Struggle for Hindu Existence Says:
[...] Courtesy : Hindu Jagruti and Immigrant News Queens. [...]
Posted on January 24th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Roger Dunn Says:
Having lived through a number of hurricanes, the reality is that not only are these folks suffering now, but they will be suffering for many years to come.It will take years and an enormous amount of funds to rebuild the infrastructure, not to mention building dwellings, schools, and stores. One can only hope that the internatinal community continues to supprt the people in Haiti. Then, one can only hope that they will have leadership that supports the people of Haiti.
Posted on February 3rd, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Internet Banking Says:
Just blowing some time on Stumbleupon and I found your entry. Not normally what I prefer to read about, but it was absolutely worth my time. Thanks.
Posted on February 4th, 2010 at 3:42 am
Kristian Mattias Says:
Great article. There’s a lot of good info here, though I did want to let you know something – I am running Fedora with the latest beta of Firefox, and the layout of your blog is kind of funky for me. I can understand the articles, but the navigation doesn’t work so good.
Posted on February 4th, 2010 at 11:10 pm
Wyatt Marucci Says:
Very good post. I’ve found your blog via Google and I’m really happy about the information you provide in your articles. Btw your blogs layout is really messed up on the Kmelon browser. Would be really great if you could fix that. Anyhow keep up the good work!
Posted on February 5th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Kesha Messinger Says:
Hello just thought i would tell you something.. This is twice now i’ve landed on your blog in the last 2 weeks searching for completely unrelated things. Spooky or what?
Posted on February 13th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
reverse cell phone lookup Says:
How long has this blog been around? I have been searching for this kind of information for the past week and a half.
Posted on February 14th, 2010 at 9:36 am
BERNADETTE Says:
I congratulate, an excellent idea
Posted on February 16th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
anthony Says:
Looking into receiving additional visitors, do you have any tips?
Posted on February 18th, 2010 at 5:45 am
Winifred Flammang Says:
hey this blog is great. I’m glad I came by this blog. Maybe I can contribute in the near future. PM ME on Yahoo AmandaLovesYou702 Thank you day127
Posted on February 20th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Metaphysical One Says:
Just found this post on Yahoo – do you have any other
Posted on February 21st, 2010 at 10:45 am
UK Data Centre Says:
Hey, I think your very on target with this, I wouldn’t say I totally agree , but its not really that much of a deal .
Posted on February 23rd, 2010 at 2:07 am
Scarlett Ezer Says:
Hi, i must say fantastic website you have, i stumbled across it in Google. Does you get much traffic?
Posted on February 23rd, 2010 at 6:41 am
Myspace Proxy Says:
@chels I know what you mean, its hard to find good help these days. People now days just don’t have the work ethic they used to have. I mean consider whoever wrote this post, they must have been working hard to write that good and it took a good bit of their time I am sure. I work with people who couldn’t write like this if they tried, and getting them to try is hard enough as it is.
Posted on February 25th, 2010 at 2:32 am
forex trading Says:
I’ve been looking for a while for a good article covering this issue . Searching in Bing I finally found this great site. After reading this post I’m really glad to say that I have a good feeling I found just what I was searching for. I will make sure to bookmark this blog and come back here on a constant basis. Thanks!
Posted on February 26th, 2010 at 7:36 am
Diodfe Says:
Very Useful information , this is both good reading for, have quite a few good key points, and I learn some new stuff from it too, thanks for sharing your information.
regards,
handbags
Posted on February 28th, 2010 at 4:20 am
certificate of deposit high rates Says:
I lately came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first remark. I don’t know what to say except that I have loved reading. Respectable blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Posted on March 4th, 2010 at 9:43 am
bank cd rate comparison Says:
I enjoyed reading it. I need to read more on this issue…I am admiring the time and effort you put in your blog, because it is apparently one great place where I can find lot of reusable info..
Posted on March 4th, 2010 at 10:36 am
San Diego short sale Says:
Hey we was just viewing your article on my iPhone and I was thinking about how good it will work on the new ipad thats coming out. Fleeting thought…. Anyway thanks!
Posted on March 5th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Elliott Graef Says:
Your website looks really good. Being a blog writer myself, I really appreciate the time you took in writing this article.
Posted on March 6th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
reverse number lookup Says:
My name is Liz and I have a secret. I read your blog almost every day, but you you wouldn’t know that. That’s because I hardly ever leave a comment.
Posted on March 10th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Lloyd C. Says:
These are definitely Super knowledge having writing and all thanks to askjeeve search engine get me on right here. I loved study your content and added to the bookmarks. The suggestions you tried to put up was clearly understandable. My husband also appreciated after reading this post. I will go through for more sooner.
Posted on March 11th, 2010 at 11:08 am
magic article rewriter reviews Says:
Article marketing is maybe one of the easiest strategies to bring traffic to your site. It is an easy and great way to market your products and/or services.
Posted on March 13th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
internet marketing forum Says:
Very good Posting, you give detail information and give explain about how to make money online, I think information like this very useful for beginner like me..
Posted on March 13th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Casie Byone Says:
This is a great blog you got here. The theme looks nice, awesome color combination.
Posted on March 13th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Topsoil Says:
Hey we was just browsing your article on my Samsung Phone and I was thinking about how good it will work on the new ipad coming out . Fleeting thought…. Anyway thanks!
Posted on March 15th, 2010 at 1:01 am
Jerryactric John Says:
hey man great post, if you get more than 500 hits per day, maybe we can link to each other or something, drop me an email.
Posted on March 17th, 2010 at 1:12 am
Digital Reader Reviews Says:
This is very good information post. I just roughly ready through your post. Now I have not much time. Will bookmark it and comeback to read tonight. Regards.
Posted on March 17th, 2010 at 6:01 am
Lucy Says:
Thanks for the well-thought article. I’m actually at work at the moment! So I need to go off without reading all I’d like. However, I put your blog on my RSS feed so that I can read more.
Posted on March 18th, 2010 at 2:35 am
Lawn Care Says:
Hey mate, greetz from Iceland !
Posted on March 21st, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Markus Right Says:
I really enjoyed this posting! Your site looks great! If you are interested in any web design feel free to contact me at http://www.helixfire.com
Posted on March 22nd, 2010 at 7:44 pm
ForexRobot Says:
Hello. Very nice Blog. Not really what i have searched over Google, but thanks for the information.
Posted on March 28th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Free Green tea Says:
This have to be the best site ever.
Free Green tea
green Tea sample
Posted on March 30th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Matthew C. Kriner Says:
Great. Now i can say thank you
Posted on March 31st, 2010 at 5:07 am
Elaine Marcell Says:
[...] Immigrant News Queens » Blog Archive » Hindu Deities on USA Postage Stamps >> http://www.immigrantnews-queens.com/?p=1070 >> http://www.churchofthe.net [...]
Posted on March 31st, 2010 at 9:10 am
invicta watches Says:
I Like this site your article is very nice , Thanks, very interesting article, keep up it coming
Posted on April 3rd, 2010 at 11:22 am
Paul M. Wiseman Says:
Awesome post as usual, thanks for posting all this informative content on a regular basis.
Posted on April 6th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Portable dvd players Says:
I rarly comment on blogs but I really like yours.Its hard to find good bloggers these days … everyone seems to be doing it for the money
Posted on April 10th, 2010 at 9:30 am
anup kumar Says:
i will suggest u one typical web site which gives importance to human feelings than money r business, for spirituality log on to
” http://www.naziat.org“
Posted on April 12th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
reverse phone lookup Says:
After searching for this information, I will have to say most people agree with you on this topic.
Posted on April 15th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
marty Says:
Bravo, what words…, a magnificent idea
Posted on April 17th, 2010 at 10:20 am
wholesale slippers Says:
Hello,After reading you site, Your site is very useful for me .I bookmarked your site!
Posted on April 22nd, 2010 at 5:07 am
Ned Heistand Says:
The design for your website is a bit off in Camino. All The Same I like your web site. I may have to install a “normal” browser just to enjoy it.
Posted on April 22nd, 2010 at 6:20 am
Forest Karpin Says:
Thank you – I’m always looking for good tips, hints and ideas to improve – I’ve been researching resources now for quite a while, and I’m always trying to come up with unique content for visitors to my site. I’ll be sure to check back soon for more
Posted on April 24th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Sonia Estrade Says:
I enjoy visiting daily to see your thoughts. I have your page bookmarked on my daily read list!
Posted on April 30th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Maudie Trecarichi Says:
This is my first time i visit here. I found so many interesting stuff in your blog especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here keep up the good work.
Posted on April 30th, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Technology News Says:
Your post caught my eye. Thanks for offering this information.
Posted on May 7th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
ที่พักปราณบุรี Says:
These are definitely Super knowledge having writing and all thanks to askjeeve search engine get me on right here. I loved study your content and added to the bookmarks. The suggestions you tried to put up was clearly understandable. My husband also apprecia
Posted on May 8th, 2010 at 8:29 am
xrumer help Says:
Can I use your website as an example for class?
Posted on May 9th, 2010 at 6:49 am
casio watch Says:
Lovingly done is well-advised b wealthier than comfortably said.
Posted on May 9th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Rolf Valla Says:
I thought it was going to be some boring old post, but it really compensated for my time. I will post a link to this page on my blog. I am sure my visitors will find that very useful
Posted on May 11th, 2010 at 9:09 am
same day loan Says:
Very nice post
Thank you for sharing Immigrant News Queens
Posted on May 14th, 2010 at 10:38 am
pda Says:
You wouldn’t believe it but I have wasted all day digging for some articles about this. You’re a lifesaver, it was a great read and has helped me out to no end. Cheers,
Posted on May 15th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
chanel handbags Says:
We were on a confrerence, I recollect I ve heard of this web! Nice paper approvingly done!
Posted on May 17th, 2010 at 9:43 am
nada user car Says:
Thanks for good article. Hope to see more soon. . . . .
Posted on May 17th, 2010 at 10:28 am
tv computer Says:
This is a really good read for me, Must admit that you are one of the best bloggers I ever saw.Thanks for posting this informative article.
Posted on May 31st, 2010 at 4:45 am
Shera Mcmilleon Says:
I love your blog – amazing post! I initially discovered your site a few days ago, and I bookmarked your blog the very same day. I have a few excellent thoughts for some upcoming articles you could write. I’ll shoot you an email later on. Continue the great work.
Posted on May 31st, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Lahoma Spinale Says:
The essence of the message of Lord Krishna to the human beings is Bhagavat Gita. Sage Vyasa wrote all the eighteen Puranaas and MahaBharatha, but still he was not having mental peace. It is surprising to see that the Sage Vyasa did not get peace even after composing Gita!! The reason is that the theoretical knowledge does not give any fruit unless it is practiced. Arjuna was not the best example of practice of Gita. Even on the eighteenth day, he was not getting down from the chariot in spite of the instruction from Lord Krishna. He was treating Krishna as a driver only and expected Krishna to get down first and then open the side door of the chariot.
Posted on June 1st, 2010 at 3:36 am
Kira Delisio Says:
Valuable tidings and choice sketch you got here! I would like to thank you for sharing your thoughts and metre into the effects you collection!! Thumbs up
Posted on June 1st, 2010 at 11:59 am
Terina Stuller Says:
I really like your post. Always been very informational. I hope you’ll keep up the good work and maintain the standard. Best of luck.
Posted on June 28th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Suzanne Buyes Says:
I really enjoy the blog.Thanks Again. Great.
Posted on July 23rd, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Silver Handbags Says:
We have similar postage stamp releases in the UK where they celebrate different events and people.
Posted on August 9th, 2010 at 10:29 am
Adventure Computer Games Says:
Wow, that is really interesting
Posted on August 9th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Everett Marcet Says:
I cannot quite get over how much I agree with this excellent post. Do write more soon. Best Wishes, Everett Marcet
Posted on August 13th, 2010 at 4:46 am
Farrah Kowalcyk Says:
I’m not particularly interested in Eat Pray Love, I have to tell you. I own the book; I have not brought myself to read it. I might see the movie. I might not
Posted on August 14th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
How to get free stuff Says:
Nice collection of stamps. Just curious – I have read about Ganesha, why here I see different name – Lord Vinayaka ? Does he have two names? Sorry, seems that I am not very smart about this. Anyway it’s pure pleasure to read your post. Thank you.
Posted on August 17th, 2010 at 3:51 am