CHENNAI: The ancestral village of U.S. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, Thulasendrapuram, could be the only village in India closely watching live updates of the U.S. presidential election on news channels on Wednesday.
The day began with a sense of melancholy for villagers, who fondly refer to Harris as the "daughter of the soil," as they were disappointed to see her trailing behind Republican candidate Donald Trump in early results.
This unexpected turn of events created a subdued atmosphere, with residents patiently awaiting further election updates. Despite Harris's initial position, villagers remained glued to their TVs, discussing the trends showing Harris with over 70 electoral votes and Trump with over 130 as of 10 a.m.
The people of Thulasendrapuram are united in their hope for Kamala's victory. "We wholeheartedly pray that Kamala Harris wins. We’ll keep watching until the results are announced," said G. Saravanan.
When it comes to supporting Kamala Harris, even political rivals DMK and AIADMK have set aside their differences. Mannargudi West Union DMK Youth Wing member M. Pradeep and AIADMK supporter V. Selvaraj sat together at Kalaignar Padippagam to discuss the election results, with Pradeep explaining the U.S. electoral system to others.
Local resident J. Suthakar, who had planned to prepare and serve "Harris’s favorite dishes, idli and sambar," to celebrate a potential victory, was visibly disappointed. Villagers had hoped a win would bring honor to their community.
On Tuesday, Sudhakar organized a special puja at the village’s ancestral Sri Dharma Sastha Temple, praying for Harris's success. The temple displays a plaque acknowledging donations of Rs 5,000 by Kamala Harris and Rs 25,001 by her aunt Dr Sarala Gopalan.
Her maternal grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, a former resident of the village donated Rs 250.
"Win or lose, competing on the world stage itself is a matter of pride," said R. Vijayakumar, a village water tank operator, who mentioned that Harris has ancestral property worth Rs 10 lakh in the village's Agraharam (a Brahmin colony).
"I heard that Gopalan once lived in the agraharam," he added.
Residents, who only recently learned about Kamala’s roots due to her run in the 2020 U.S. vice-presidential election, share many stories about her grandfather Gopalan, mother Shyamala Gopalan, and aunt Sarala Gopalan, though most are based on hearsay.
English (US) ·