About This Stamp
The annual autumn festival Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Also known as Deepavali, it is among the most important events on the Hindu calendar and is usually observed over five days. A colorful new stamp honors this joyous holiday with an image of a rangoli, a vibrant floor pattern traditionally made from materials such as colored rice powder, chalk, and flower petals. This is the second Diwali stamp. The first one was issued in 2016.
The rangoli for the stamp was created by artist Sangita Bhutada, a native of India and longtime resident of the Houston area who has been a practitioner of this ancient folk art for nearly 30 years. Bhutada started by sketching out a design on paper, then began carefully sprinkling colored sand and starch-based powder on the floor, using five fingers and sometimes a regular kitchen strainer. She chose bright colors — blue, orange, green, and red, plus white.
The original work took eight to 10 days, as opposed to the four to six hours Bhutada normally spends on a rangoli, and “was eight feet in diameter so when it was photographed it would come out properly” in high resolution, she explains. Photographer Bijay Dixit, also based in the Houston area, did the honors. The resulting image was then set against a brilliant purple background.
During the holiday, it is customary for people to create rangolis in and around their homes. The intricate designs, which often feature floral imagery, geometric shapes, and religious iconography, are thought to bring good fortune. In addition to traditional materials, artists today may use paints and sparkly adornments to bring their colorful creations to life.
On the Hindu calendar, Diwali falls on the eve of, or on, the new moon that occurs between mid-October and mid-November. In 2026, the main day of the festival will be November 8.
“I was very surprised to get this commission,” says Bhutada, who most frequently makes rangolis for weddings, baby showers, and other such auspicious occasions, but also occasionally at art fairs. Her most unusual commission to date came around Diwali in 2023, when an electric vehicle manufacturer hired her to create a rangoli that was digitized and animated to project onto the floor and constantly change size and color, as well as spin around.
William J. Gicker served as the project's art director. Jennifer Arnold designed the stamp.
The Diwali stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director
William Gicker
William Gicker served as Director of Stamp Services for the U.S. Postal Service from 2020 until his retirement in 2023. In that position he oversaw stamp development, stamp products and exhibitions, stamp manufacturing, stamp fulfillment, and the Postmaster General’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC).
Gicker began working for the U.S. Postal Service in 1998. Initially assistant editor of USA Philatelic, the quarterly stamp catalog produced by Stamp Services, he soon became editor where he oversaw the catalog’s award-winning program until 2013.
Named creative director of stamps in 2001, Gicker became manager and creative director of Stamp Development in 2015. Working closely with Postal Service art directors and CSAC, he managed the creative development and quality control of more than 800 stamp issuances and 1,700 individual stamp designs.
He has served as art director for some of the most popular stamps issued by the Postal Service: the five-year Art of Disney series; Star Wars; Holy Family; Harry Potter; and Hot Wheels. As both art director and designer, Gicker lists among his many stamps, Holiday Baubles; the first international rate Global stamp in 2013; and the Gifts of Friendship joint issuance with Japan. He was also art director for the first stamp to celebrate Diwali, eight more Global Forever® stamps, and several Christmas Madonna and Child issuances, the most recent in 2024.
A native of Pennsylvania, Gicker graduated from West Chester University with a bachelor of arts degree in English Literature. He and his family live in Washington, DC.
Stamp Designer
Jennifer Arnold
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Jennifer Arnold has strong southern roots, but spent most of her youth as a nomad. The daughter of a U.S. Marine, Arnold traveled extensively, and lived for several years in Japan, where she developed a deep love for Japanese art and culture.
Arnold studied fine arts at Auburn University and Carnegie-Mellon University. After receiving an M.F.A. degree in painting, she moved to Washington, DC, where she spent seven years as a graphic designer for ABC News, followed by a career in marketing and account management.
She has also designed stamp issuances for the Postal Service including Purple Heart with Ribbon (2011), Purple Heart Medal (2012), Snowflakes (2013), Vintage Circus Posters (2014), and Diwali (2026).
Stamp Artist
Sangita B. Bhutada
A native of India, creative artist Sangita B. Bhutada specializes in the traditional arts of Rangoli and Henna (or Mehndi) in the Houston area. She has written multiple books about these art forms. A trained Montessori teacher, Bhutada also finds time to teach Hindi.
Rangoli is a traditional folk art in India that is passed down from generation to generation. The decorative designs—made of rice, sand, and flour in magnificent colors—are found on living room floors and in courtyards during Indian festivals such as Diwali and at weddings and other celebrations. Mehndi, or Henna, is a temporary form of skin decoration popular in India and other South Asian countries, the Middle East, and in some parts of Africa. This art form traditionally consists of beautiful patterns and designs applied to the hands and feet of a bride for her wedding.
Bhutada has nearly 30 years of experience in Rangoli and Henna art. In that time, she has created unique and colorful designs for thousands of clients. Her rangolis are a regular feature at events held by the Houston Museum of Natural Science; the Safari Texas Ranch in Houston; Town Square Sugarland, Texas; the Houston Art Alliance; George Brown Convention Center in Houston; the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas; the Convention Center in New Orleans; and the Indian Cultural Center, Houston.
Bhutada and her family live in Richmond, Texas.
The rangoli appearing on the 2026 Diwali stamp is her first project for the U.S. Postal Service.