Kamala Harris is feeling the love all the way from India, the ancestral homeland of her mother.
According to the The New York Times, on Tuesday about 200 residents of Thulasendrapuram — the village in India where Harris’ maternal grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, was born — participated in a Hindu prayer ceremony.
” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”> [https://etcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CP111246644.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=450&h=300&crop=1, small], [https://etcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CP111246644.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=720&h=480&crop=1, not-small]” src=”https://etcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CP111246644.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=720&h=480&crop=1″ alt=”Two villagers interact next to a billboard wishing victory for U.S. democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris in Thulasendrapuram village, south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The lush green village is the hometown of Harris’ maternal grandfather who migrated from there decades ago. Photo: CP Images/AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi”>The puja ritual, noted the Times, was held to offer prayers for an electoral victory for the vice presidential nominee and running mate Joe Biden.
“She is the daughter of the village’s soil,” a village woman told the Times, reflecting the pride the locals have for the California senator. “The position she has attained is unbelievable.”
Another local spoke to Reuters, echoing that sentiment. “She is from here and we are proud of her,” said the villager.
Half Black and half Indian, Harris has proudly embraced both sides of her heritage. In a 2019 interview with the Los Angeles Times, she spoke about the influence her grandfather had on her political aspirations — even though he lived thousands of miles away.
“My grandfather was really one of my favourite people in my world,” said Harris of her Gopalan, who had been a follower of Mahatma Gandhi’s Indian independence movement before embarking on a four-decade career in government.
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“My grandfather felt very strongly about the importance of defending civil rights and fighting for equality and integrity,” Harris told the newspaper. “I just remember them always talking about the people who were corrupt versus the people who were real servants.”