Abuzz with hope, ancestral village in Tamil Nadu to hold special prayers for Kamala Harris

Chennai: The residents of Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village in Tamil Nadu of US vice president Kamala Harris, are buzzing. Massive banners with her face have been plastered all over the village, and elaborate temple rituals are underway to pray for her victory in Tuesday’s election.

On November 5, locals will hold a special pooja at the main temple Dharmasastha in the nondescript village of Thulasendrapuram, about 100 km from Chennai and around 14,000km from Washington.

“We have a special pooja tomorrow morning to ensure her victory,” said a former councillor Arulmozhi Sudhakar.

“She’s got Indian roots, an ancestry in our village and she is a woman who is fighting for such a big post in one of the most powerful countries in the world. That makes us proud and we want her to win.”

And if Harris does win, these village leaders in Painganadu in Tiruvarur district will offer an annadhanam (free food for the poor). Posters and banners have come up in the village with a picture of Harris, congratulating her and wishing her for a win in Tamil.

The relatively unknown village in south India was thrust into limelight when Joe Biden announced Harris as his running mate in the run-up to the 2020 elections. It was a historic nomination to the US national office (for Harris being the first African-American woman and first person of Indian origin).

Back then, the Dharmasastha had offered free idli-sambhar to the locals for breakfast after Harris had said that it was her favourite south Indian dish. Harris particularly struck a chord with her roots when she called out to her ‘chithis’ (referring to a parent’s younger sister in Tamil) during her speech in August 2020 at the Democratic National Convention.

Harris’ grandfather PV Gopalan was born in this village, a century ago, before moving to erstwhile Madras. In 2014, her aunt, Dr Sarala Gopalan, who lives in Chennai, donated ₹5,000 to the temple in the name of Harris. “That is the only evidence to show the small link that Harris has to this village,” said M Krishnamurthi, a retired bank official who lives in Thulasendrapuram.

“She has put our village on the map. If not for her, nobody would know about Thulasendrapuram and for that I am proud. She is a daughter of our soil so we want her to win.”

But, sure enough, the villagers know their reality and have little hope that this would draw more attention from the local government to channelise funds and improve the conditions of the village. “Our roads are not going to get the best bitumen, overnight,” said Krishnamurthi who only wants the next American president to remain a friendly country to India amidst the threat of China.

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