People are saying special prayers for Kamala Harris in a tiny village in Tamil Nadu, India. The inhabitants of Thulasendrapuram, a village surrounded by paddy fields about 300 km from the city of Chennai, regard her as their own. The village was once home to her maternal grandfather, PV Gopalan.
He was an Indian bureaucrat, an expert on refugee resettlement, who served as an advisor to Zambia’s first president in the 1960s.
Prayers for Harris started at the village’s main temple on the day the US President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race, endorsing her as the candidate.
“We prayed for her, and she became vice-president,” said the 61-year-old head priest M. Natrajan. “With the blessing of our all-powerful deity, we are confident she will now become president too.”
Harris among temple donors
An enormous image of Harris stands outside the temple’s gates and her name appears among the temple donors listed on a wall inside.
“After becoming president, she must visit [us]” said the priest, who doubles as a veterinarian at the animal dispensary next door.
Harris, 59, was born in California, but was often taken to India by her mother, breast cancer specialist Shyamala Gopalan.
Harris visited Chennai with her sister, Maya, after their mother died and immersed her ashes in the sea in keeping with Hindu traditions,
However, she herself is a Baptist, while her husband is Jewish.
“We are really proud of her. Once Indians were ruled by foreigners, now Indians are leading powerful nations,” said Krishnamurthi, a retired bank manager.
The villagers celebrated with fireworks and held a grand feast when Harris became the vice president.
How the village has benefited
Vijay Kumar, a government employee, said the village has benefited from Harris’ eminence.
A local commercial bank donated about $120,00 to rejuvenate a long-dead reservoir in the area.
“They did that only because of Kamala Harris’ association with our village,” he said.
But the villagers want her to do more.
“Only the very bright can go to America, but if she can get some companies to open in our area, our kids can work there,” said Sudhakar, a local politician.
Farmer T Selvi, 53, added: “She was vice-president, and now she will become president, but she should do something for us too.
“What is the point otherwise?”.