Kamala’s grandfather, PV Gopalan, hailed from the village of Thulasenthirapuram near the town of Mannargudi in Tamil Nadu.
The town of Thulasenthirapuram near Painganadu in Tamil Nadu, tucked away in a corner of the Tiruvarur district, erupted in celebration when Kamala Harris was declared vice president-elect of the United States of America after a heated election. Locals in the village, which is a native of Kamala’s maternal grandparents, lit firecrackers, drew rangolis and played music to celebrate their victory.
Speaking to the media and congratulating her and President-elect Joe Biden on the victory, Malar Vendhan, a local resident, said: “We are celebrating this because a woman whose roots are in our village is being elected as Vice President of the United States. It is a matter of immense pride. ” “Not only for Tamils in Tamil Nadu, but this victory is a source of pride for all Tamils around the world,” he added.
Even before the result, the road leading to the village from the nearby town of Mannargudi was littered with posters on the walls and digital banners wishing a resounding victory for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The results of the US presidential elections were a lively topic of discussion in this interior of Tamil Nadu in public places like tea stalls. Some people were also glued to the television for updates.
Tamil Nadu Food Minister R Kamaraj also visited the village and offered prayers at the local temple on Sunday, telling the media that it was a “moment of pride”.
Tamil Nadu: State Min R Kamaraj offers prayers at a temple in Thulasendrapuram, hometown of US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, for her victory in US polls.
“A woman from this small town now occupies one of the highest positions in America. It is a proud moment,” says Kamaraj. pic.twitter.com/MnKSDPl9jy
– ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2020
Earlier, on November 2, when the United States went to the polls, locals had held special prayers at a temple. Thulasenthirapuram is an agrarian town located near the city of Mannargudi.
Kamala’s grandfather PV Gopalan moved from the village of Thulasenthirapuram when he was young and took a job in the British government service. Although Kamala’s ancestors left the village many decades ago, family members had kept their connections to the Thulasenthirapuram temple intact.
Gopalan and other family members have made donations for the temple renovation for various periods. As recently as 2014, a donation was made, says temple administrator Ramani.
“It all started about a year ago when Kamala Harris herself revealed about her grandfather on social media. We realized that someone related to our village was becoming prominent in the United States. Everyone here started talking about her,” she said Ramanathan, a retired school teacher. in the village, he told PTI before the result.
“We don’t know much about his ancestors. However, it feels good that he is creating history in America.”
Meanwhile, delivering her victory speech, Kamala Harris had invoked her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris’ journey from India as a teenager and praised her for being among those who “paved the way for this moment tonight” when her daughter could become vice president.
Read:
‘I deeply believed in America’: Kamala Harris thanks her mother in her victory speech
‘Thinking about generations of women who paved the way for this moment’: Kamala Harris
‘We can and should be natural allies’: Joe Biden on India-US relations
With IANS and PTI inputs
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