US Presidential Elections: People In Kamala Harris' Native Village In India Perform Special Prayer

Kamala Harris, who is of Indian origin, has been nominated as the vice-presidential candidate for the US Democratic Party. The villagers of Thulasendrapuram near Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu, have offered special prayers at the Dharma Shasta Temple, hoping for her victory.

The villagers express pride that a person of Indian descent is contesting in the US presidential election. Kamala Harris's ancestral village is Thulasendrapuram, located in Painganadu near Mannargudi, in Tiruvarur district, Tamil Nadu.

Kamala Harris's grandparents, Gopalan and Rajam, hailed from Thulasendrapuram village. Her grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, served in the Indian Civil Service in the 1930s. Later, Gopalan moved to Jamaica to work on a government project involving the enumeration of refugees from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

Thulasendrapuram, a tiny Tamil Nadu village around 300 km from Chennai, is where US Vice President Kamala Harris’ maternal grandparents are from. The villagers are offering special prayers at the Dharma Shastha Temple to pray for her victory as Harris is set to become Democratic… pic.twitter.com/F4WamhnFQZ

— Zee News English (@ZeeNewsEnglish) July 24, 2024

The Gopalan family eventually settled in the United States. Kamala Harris was born to Gopalan's second daughter, Shyamala, who married a Jamaican. Kamala Harris pursued a career in law and became the first female senator from California.

She rose through the political ranks and, in the 2020 election, was selected by Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate for the Democratic Party. Harris and Biden won the election, making her the first female vice president of the United States.

Kamala Harris's family maintains close ties to Tamil Nadu. Her paternal stepmother still resides in Chennai. Many years ago, Kamala Harris donated to the Dharma Shasta Temple, an ancestral temple, which is recorded in an inscription there.

As Kamala Harris's candidacy for vice president was announced, the villagers of Thulasendrapuram, proud of their native's accomplishments, performed special prayers at the Dharma Shasta Temple, hoping for her success in the election.