EGN NEWS DESK
THULASENDRAPURAM, India — The temple reverberated with rhythmic Sanskrit and Tamil hymns, as a Hindu priest held a flame earlier than the god. As this tiny South Indian village gathered to wish for Kamala Harris, a gaggle of reporters jostled for house and digital camera angles.
There’s little to differentiate the village of Thulasendrapuram from some other rural neighborhood in Tamil Nadu, besides its connection to a lady who might turn out to be America’s first chief with South Asian roots.
As thousands and thousands of Americans vote, Harris has folks rooting for her from hundreds of miles away in a village surrounded by rice paddies and coconut timber, the place her mom’s household has ancestral ties. They speak about her on the native tea store. Banners and billboards bearing her face are seen all through the neighborhood.
Read More: How South Asian Women Have Mobilized for Kamala Harris
“Our deity is a really highly effective God. If we pray properly to him, he’ll make her victorious,” mentioned M. Natarajan, the temple priest that led the prayers in entrance of the picture of Hindu deity Ayyanar, a type of Lord Shiva.
Harris’ maternal grandfather was born within the village, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) from the southern coastal metropolis of Chennai, greater than 100 years in the past. As an grownup, he moved to Chennai, the place he labored as a high-ranking authorities official till his retirement.
Harris has by no means visited Thulasendrapuram and he or she has no dwelling kin within the village, however folks right here nonetheless venerate the household that made it huge within the U.S.
“Our village ancestors’ granddaughter is working as a U.S. presidential candidate. Her victory will probably be blissful information for each certainly one of us,” Natarajan mentioned.
The village’s sudden fame has helped carry cash into the village. Recently, building started on a water storage tank with funds donated by a neighborhood financial institution. Village residents say it can carry a plaque with Harris’ identify.
Harris’ late mom, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India. After shifting to the U.S. to check, she married a Jamaican man, and so they named their daughter Kamala, a Sanskrit phrase for “lotus flower.”
Other than journeys throughout her childhood, Harris hasn’t visited India a lot — significantly not since changing into vice chairman — however she has typically spoken emotionally about her ties to her late mom’s nation of delivery. On Tuesday, she launched a marketing campaign video highlighting her mom, who arrived within the U.S. at age 19 and have become a most cancers researcher.
Titled “Mother,” the video ends with a narrator saying: “This daughter of Shyamala, this daughter of the American story, is able to lead us ahead.”
Harris has typically talked about how she was guided by the values of her Indian-born grandfather and mom. She has additionally spoken of her love of south Indian meals, particularly a kind of steamed rice cake referred to as idli.
Harris’ identify is engraved in a listing of donors — her aunt Sarala Gopalan gave cash to the temple in her identify — together with that of her grandfather. Outside, a big banner needs “the daughter of the land” success within the election.
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On Tuesday, the village temple additionally obtained uncommon worldwide guests: two American vacationers and one from the U.Ok., all sporting black t-shirts that mentioned “Kamala Freakin Harris.”
Manikandan Ganesan, a villager who runs a small retailer close to the temple, mentioned Harris’ bid for the presidency has made the village well-known. He hopes Harris will ultimately go to them.
“Even if she talked about that she would go to our village, it might make us very blissful,” Ganesan mentioned. “Her victory itself will probably be an enormous supply of happiness for us.”
Village residents additionally prayed for Harris’ victory in 2020, and set off firecrackers when she grew to become the U.S. Vice President.
For girls of the village, the candidate’s journey is a supply of inspiration.
Local politician Arulmozhi Sudhakar mentioned Harris embodies a major step towards feminine empowerment in locations like Thulasendrapuram, the place a majority of girls proceed to face discrimination and gender inequality.
“From the time when girls weren’t even allowed to step out of their home, to now a lady from our village contesting within the U.S. presidential election — this brings happiness for us,” Sudhakar mentioned. “The coming generations will see her as a task mannequin to reach life.”
