,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #abag  ,,in ,,the ,,house    
,,of ,,representatives  ,november #ab1  
#bjbj,mr4 ,krishnamoorthi 7for himself1 
,mr4 ,fitzpatrick1 ,mrs4 ,watson        
,coleman1 ,mr4 ,pascrell1 ,mr4 ,rush1   
,mr4 ,connolly1 ,mr4 ,pallone1 ,mr4     
,hastings1 ,mr4 ,cox of ,california1    
,mr4 ,michael ,f4 ,doyle of             
,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,nadler1 ,mr4 ,yoho1
 ,mr4 ,costa1 ,mr4 ,bera1 ,ms4 ,jayapal1
 ,mr4 ,khanna1 ,mr4 ,price of ,north    
,carolina1 ,mr4 ,sherman1 and ,mr4      
,cohen7 submitted the following         
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs         
,,resolution  ,recognizing the religious
 and historical significance of the     
festival of ,diwali4  ,whereas for      
millions of ,indian ,americans1 ,diwali 
7or ,deepavali7 is a time for           
thanksgiving and prayer for health1     
knowledge1 and peace2 ,whereas this     
year1 #bjbj1 many ,members of ,congress 
will celebrate ,diwali in the ,united   

,states ,capitol for the first time2    
,whereas ,diwali1 a festival of great   
significance to ,indian ,americans1 is  
celebrated annually by ,hindus1 ,sikhs1 
,jains1 and others throughout the       
,united ,states2 ,whereas ,diwali is a  
festival of lights1 during which        
celebrants light small oil lamps1 place 
them around the home1 and pray for      
health1 knowledge1 and peace2 ,whereas  
celebrants of ,diwali believe that the  
rows of lamps symbolize the light within
 the individual that rids the soul of   
the darkness of ignorance2 ,whereas     
,diwali falls on the last day of the    
last month in the lunar calendar and is 
celebrated as a day of thanksgiving and 
the beginning of the ,new ,year for many
 ,hindus2 ,whereas for ,hindus1 ,diwali 
is a celebration of the belief that     
light triumphs over darkness1 and good  
triumphs over evil2 ,whereas for ,sikhs1
 ,diwali is feted as the day on which   
the sixth founding ,sikh guru1 ,guru    
,hargobind1 was released from captivity 

by the ,mughal ,emperor ,jehangir2      
,whereas for ,jains1 ,diwali marks the  
anniversary of the attainment of        
,nirvana by ,lord ,mahavira1 the last of
 the ,tirthankaras 7founders of the     
,jain philosophy72 and ,whereas ,diwali 
is a celebration of great importance in 
,indian-,american communities throughout
 the ,united ,states3 ,now1 therefore1  
be it ,that the ,house of               
,representatives-- 7#a7 recognizes the  
historical and religious significance of
 ,diwali2  7#b7 in observance of        
,diwali1 the festival of lights1        
expresses its deepest respect for       
,indian ,americans and the ,indian      
,diaspora throughout the world on this  
significant occasion2  7#c7 recognizes  
and appreciates the religious diversity 
in both ,india and the ,united ,states  
and throughout the world2 and  7#d7     
acknowledges and supports the           
relationship of collaboration and       
respect between the ,united ,states and 
,india4