THULASENDRAPURAM, India (AP) – A tiny, lush Indian village surrounded by rice fields radiated joy Wednesday hours before her descendant, Kamala Harris, took her oath and became US vice president.
Harris will make history as the first woman, first woman of color, and first person of South Asian descent to hold the vice presidency.
In the hometown of his maternal grandfather, Thulasendrapuram, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) from the southern coastal city of Chennai, people were cheering and preparing for their celebrations.
“We are very proud that an Indian has been elected vice president of America,” said Anukampa Madhavasimhan, a teacher.
Harris ’grandfather moved decades ago to Chennai, the state capital of Tamil Nadu. Harris’ late mother was also born in India, before leaving for the United States to study at the University of California. She married a Jamaican man and they named her daughter Kamala, a Sanskrit word for “lotus flower.”
Prior to the inauguration, special prayers were said for its success in the city temple during which the idol of the Hindu deity Ayyanar, a form of Lord Shiva, was washed with milk and adorned with flowers by the priest.
Prior to the November U.S. election, the villagers of Thulasendrapuram also held a ceremony at the temple to wish Harris good luck. After their victory, they threw firecrackers and distributed sweets and flowers as a religious offering.
Harris posters for the November celebrations still adorn the walls of the village and many expect him to run for president in 2024. President-elect Joe Biden has been missing questions about whether to seek re-election or retire.
“For the next four years, if she supports India, she will be the president,” said G Manikandan, who has followed Harris politically and whose store proudly displays a mural calendar with images of Biden and Harris.
On Tuesday, an organization that promotes vegetarianism sent food packages to village children as gifts to celebrate Harris ’success.