Kamala Harris Is Receiving Prayers from Her Family’s Ancestral Village In India And It’s The Sweetest Thing
Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris doesn’t just have supporters backing her in the United States. The American politician and attorney who served as the junior United States senator of California has support from her ancestral village in India as well. While they were not able to vote in the 2020 United States presidential election, the village of supporters did cast in their prayers and good wishes in hopes to see Harris win the vice-presidential position.
According to The New York Times, members of the Indian village (Thulasendrapuram) where Harris’ maternal grandfather P.V. Gopalan was born gathered in a Hindu temple to pray for her victory.
As part of a special puja ceremony, 200 residents came together for the event.
Soon after, the Times of India reported that organizers presented the village with a feast of idli and sambar. The two dishes come from South India and are reported to be favorites of Harris.
“She is the daughter of the village’s soil,” a member of the village told The New York Times. “The position she has attained is unbelievable.” According to Reuters, another local man explained “She is from here and we are proud of her.”
Harris is the first Black woman and first Indian-American to appear on a major party’s presidential ticket.
In the past she has spoken out about how she felt inspired by her grandfather, who was part of the Indian government in the 1930s, according to The Los Angeles Times, to pursue a career in politics. “My grandfather was really one of my favorite people in my world,” Harris said of her grandfather.
During her acceptance speech for the vice-presidential nomination, Harris also spoke about her late mother, cancer researcher Shyamala Gopalan Harris, and her influences on her career.
“My mother taught me that service to others gives life purpose and meaning. And oh, how I wish she were here tonight but I know she’s looking down on me from above. I keep thinking about that 25-year-old Indian woman—all of five feet tall—who gave birth to me at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, California,” Harris explained at the time. “On that day, she probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now speaking these words: I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America… I do so, committed to the values she taught me. To the Word that teaches me to walk by faith, and not by sight. And to a vision passed on through generations of Americans—one that Joe Biden shares. A vision of our nation as a Beloved Community—where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love.”
As the last of Americans trickled into the polls on Tuesday, Harris tweeted that Americans “cannot afford four more years of Donald Trump.”
“Donald Trump’s failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods. If you’re a parent struggling with your child’s remote learning, or you’re a teacher struggling on the other side of that screen, you know that what we’re doing right now isn’t working,” she highlighted in her acceptance speech months ago. “And we are a nation that’s grieving. Grieving the loss of life, the loss of jobs, the loss of opportunities, the loss of normalcy. And yes, the loss of certainty. And while this virus touches us all, let’s be honest, it is not an equal opportunity offender. Black, Latino and Indigenous people are suffering and dying disproportionately. “
