Buoyed by their success of getting a resolution to recognise the festival of Diwali -- or Deepavali as it is known in Sanskrit -- introduced in the US House of Representatives, the Hindu American Foundation had convinced two influential Senators to introduce a similar resolution in the US Senate.
Just before the Congress recessed for the summer, Senators Robert Menendez, New Jersey Democrat and John Cornyn, Texas Republican, introduced Senate Resolution 299, "recognising the religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali".
The resolution affirmed the importance of the festival in the lives of millions of Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs in the United States, and lauded the HAF for promoting the recognition of this festival nationally.
Menendez, in introducing the resolution, said, "With over 180,000 Indian-Americans living in New Jersey, I am proud to have introduced a resolution to recognise the religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali."
"It is important that we celebrate the great diversity that makes up and strengthens our national fabric," he said, and added: "It gives me great pride to commemorate what Diwali stands for -- a time to be with family, and to pray for health, knowledge, and peace."
In April, on the urging of the HAF, the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans in the House, Representatives Jim McDermott, Washington Democrat, and Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican, introduced Resolution 245 to recognise Diwali.
This was a clone of a resolution introduced last year by then GOP co-chair of the India Caucus, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Florida Republican, which garnered 35 co-sponsors (the India Caucus boasts of a membership of over 200 members) but went nowhere.
Ishani Chowdhury, executive director of HAF, who declared that "we have made the public recognition of Diwali a major focus of our work this year," lauded Menendez and Cornyn and several other Senators who had promised to co-sponsor the resolution and hopefully get it voted on by the full Senate "for making our traditions a celebrated part of the fabric of mainstream American life."
Chowdhury told rediff.com that "Senators Menendez and Cornyn are long-standing, visible supporters of the Indian American community, and their commitment is tangible in many ways and can be seen in their co-sponsorship and introduction of this resolution and their urging their colleagues to do the same."
She said that "this bicameral Senate and House initiatives further moves the dream of HAF and the Indian American community closer to fruition."