US Presidential Election: Tamil Nadu Village Offers Prayers for Kamala Harris Victory

After US President Joe Biden has proposed the name of Kamala Harris for the Democratic Party nomination in the presidential election race, celebrations broke out in her ancestral village in Tamil Nadu's Thiruvarur. Kamala Harris' relatives offered special pooja in the local Temple for her victory and shared their feelings with ETV Bharat.

Thiruvarur (Tamil Nadu) : Kamala Harris is expected to be nominated as the Democratic candidate for US presidential race after President Joe Biden has given his bid for the second term. All eyes are on Kamala Harris, who is having an interesting Tamil Nadu connection through her maternal grand parents.

Kamala Harris' Indian Origin: P.V. Gopalan, an Indian career civil servant who served as Director of Relief Measures and Refugees in the government of Zambia, later served as Advisor to 1st President of Zambia Kenneth Kaunda. He served as Joint Secretary to the Govt of India in 1960s. He is the maternal grandfather of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

Gopalan was a member of the Imperial Secretariat Service and later a Central Secretariat Service officer. Gopalan, who went on an official visit to Zambia to survey the refugees, settled there. Later, his second daughter Shyamala, married a Jamaican. Kamala Harris was born to the couple.

Kamala Harris' family is still close to Tamil Nadu. Her mother Shyamala's sister lives in Chennai. Some of the relatives still live in Thulasendrapuram village. Also, her ancestral temple named Dharma Sastha Temple, is in Thulasendrapuram. Kamala Harris had donated to the temple a few years back. It is noteworthy that the details are recorded in the temple inscription.

Expectation of Kamala Harris relatives: The relatives of Kamala Harris, gave an interview to ETV Bharat after performing special prayers at Kula Deivam temple (Family God) in Thulasendrapuram Village. Kamala Harris' cousin Anand said, "When Kamala Harris was elected as the Vice President of the United States in 2019, we celebrated like a festival. She is sure to win this election as well, and our desire is that she should support the development of India after becoming the President of the United States."

Roopa Darshini, a relative of Kamala hailing from Thulasendrapuram said, "I am happy that the name of Kamala Harris is proposed in the US presidential election race. She will definitely win. We pray to God for her. After winning the election, she should come to India and support the development of our country".