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THULASENDRAPURAM, India (AP) – A tiny, leafy Indian village surrounded by rice paddies beamed with joy Wednesday before her descendant, Kamala Harris, took her oath and became Vice President of the United States.
Harris is poised to make history as the first woman, first woman of color and first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
In his maternal grandfather’s hometown, Thulasendrapuram, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) from the southern coastal city of Chennai, people were jubilant and preparing for the celebrations.
“We are very proud that an Indian has been elected Vice President of America,” said Anukampa Madhavasimhan, a teacher.
Harris’ grandfather moved to Chennai, the state capital of Tamil Nadu, decades ago. Harris’s late mother was also born in India, before moving to the United States to study at the University of California. She married a Jamaican man and they named their daughter Kamala, a Sanskrit word for “lotus flower”.
Before the inauguration, special prayers for its success were held at the city temple during which the idol of the Hindu deity Ayyanar, a form of Lord Shiva, was washed with milk and decorated with flowers by the priest .
Ahead of the US election in November, the villagers of Thulasendrapuram also held a temple ceremony to wish Harris the best of luck. After his victory, they set off firecrackers and distributed sweets and flowers as a religious offering.
Harris posters of the November celebrations still adorn the village walls and many are hoping she will rise to the presidency in 2024. President-elect Joe Biden has avoided questions of whether he would seek re-election or retire .
“For the next four years, if she supports India, she will be the president,” said G Manikandan, who has followed Harris politically and whose shop proudly displays a wall calendar with pictures of Biden and Harris.
On Tuesday, an organization that promotes vegetarianism sent food packages to the village children as gifts to celebrate Harris’ success.
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