The village of Thulasendrapuram in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is where Kamala Harris’s maternal grandfather was born.
The inhabitants of the Indian ancestral home of Kamala Harris have painted slogans on the roads wishing her victory as Joe Biden, her Democratic running mate in the US presidential elections, approached the White House.
Thulasendrapuram, located about 320 km (200 miles) south of the coastal city of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, is where Harris’s maternal grandfather was born more than a century ago.
“Since yesterday, we are excited about the end result,” said Abirami, a resident of the village. “Now, we are hearing positive news. We are waiting to celebrate his victory ”.
Villagers pose for photographs after making Kolam, a traditional colored powder artwork, wishing Harris success in the village of Thulasendrapuram [Aijaz Rahi/AP]
Village women wrote “We wish Kamala Harris to win” in bright colors on the ground, alongside a thumbs-up sign.
Many of her neighbors saw the vote count updates on their mobile phones.
The lush green village in the south of the country has been adorned with posters of Harris, and prayers have been offered for her at the local Hindu temple.
A poster of Kamala Harris displayed at a temple in her ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram [Arun Sankar/AFP]
Biden leads the count and has predicted he will win.
But hotly contested states, including Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, were still counting votes, leaving the election outcome uncertain.
Harris’s grandfather, PV Gopalan, and his family moved to Chennai almost 90 years ago. There he retired as a high-ranking government official.
Harris, 56, was born to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father who immigrated to the United States to study.
He visited Thulasendrapuram when he was five years old and often remembers walks with his grandfather on the beaches of Chennai.
A woman walks past a Kamala Harris poster in her ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram [Arun Sankar/AFP].
