Announcement of Kamala Devi Harris as the running mate of Joe Biden in US presidential polls, just three months ahead of the D-day , has generated waves of pride and anxiety in Tamil Nadu. More so at Thulasendrapuram in Thiruvarur district in the state. The November elections could be primarily a matter of concern for US citizens. But Biden’s decision was good enough for creating a big buzz in this hamlet, 325 kilometers south of Chennai along the eastern cost.
The Democratic Party nominee has her parental roots in Thulasendrapuram and Chennai.Flex banners and posters sprung up in Thulasendrapuram village overnight wishing her good luck and success. The posters hailed Ms.Harris, the first ever VP candidate of a major political party in US, a ‘lion hearted lady”. Some ecstatic posters even went to the extent of urging her to win and bring honor to her “home country”.
Besides Thulasendrapuram, the native village of her grandfather P V Gopalan, people from all walks of life in Tamil Nadu were seen extending Ms.Harris best wishes.One cannot find fault with the excitement and emotions displayed in the state. The California Senator’s mother Shyamala belonged to Chennai. Shyamala had migrated to US in 1960 for higher studies in University of California. She met her life partner Donald J.Harris, a Jamiacan who was doing research in the same campus. They had two daughters- Kamala and Maya.
If elected, 55 year old Kamala Harris will be the first woman to hold the office of Vice President. She will have yet another distinction of being first person of Asian origin to be the Vice President of the United States.Kamala Harris is married to Douglas Emhoff, a lawyer. Harris made her last visit to Chennai India in 2009.
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