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Harris is poised to make history as the first woman, first woman of color, and first person of South Asian descent to serve as the U.S. vice president.
A small, lush Indian village surrounded by rice paddies beams with joy, hours before her descendant, Kamala Harris, takes the oath and becomes Vice President of the United States.
Harris is poised to make history as the first woman, first woman of color and first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
In the village of Thulasendrapuram, his maternal grandfather, about 350 km (215 miles) from Chennai, the state capital of Tamil Nadu in southern India, people were jubilant and preparing for the celebrations.
“We are very proud that an Indian has been elected Vice President of the United States,” said Anukampa Madhavasimhan, 52, a teacher.
Harris’ grandfather moved to Chennai decades ago.
Harris’s late mother was also born in India, before moving to the United States to study at the University of California. She married a Jamaican man and they named their daughter Kamala, a Sanskrit word for lotus flower.
Before the US election in November, the villagers of Thulasendrapuram held a ceremony at the main Hindu temple to wish Harris the best of luck.
After his victory, they threw firecrackers and distributed candies and flowers as a religious offering.
An Indian villager stands in front of a banner displaying photographs of Harris in Thulasendrapuram [Aijaz Rahi/AP]
Harris’ posters of the November celebrations still adorn the walls of the village, and many are hoping that she will rise to the presidency in 2024.
President-elect Joe Biden has bypassed questions of whether he will stand for re-election or retire.
“For the next four years, if she supports India, she will be its president,” said G Manikandan, 40, who has followed her politically and whose shop proudly displays a wall calendar with pictures of Biden and Harris.
Before the inauguration, special prayers for its success are expected to be held at the local temple during which the idol of the Hindu deity Ayyanar, one of the forms of the Hindu god Lord Shiva, will be washed with milk and decorated with flowers by the priest. .
“I wish him good luck, success and I wish that after four years [Kamala Harris] becomes the President of the United States, it is my wish, my sincere wish, ”said Sheshadri Venkatraman, the temple administrator.
On Tuesday, an organization that promotes vegetarianism sent food packages to the village children as gifts to celebrate Harris’ success.
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