Thousands of kilometers from the intensity of the US presidential election, a village in Tamil Nadu, India, held prayers on election day, hoping for Vice President Kamala Harris’s victory over her Republican rival.
The ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram, where Harris’s maternal family hails from, was adorned with billboards of Harris and saw several villagers gather at a temple to offer prayers and sacrifices.
Hindus in Thulasendrapuram, a quiet village nestled amidst rice paddies about 350 kilometers from Chennai, gathered at the local temple. A priest conducted prayer sessions, burning incense and chanting for Harris’s success, while attendees received vermilion powder and ash as blessings. “Kamala Harris should win,” the priest declared, as he led the village in prayers.
The village proudly displays Harris’s heritage: her name is engraved on a stone in the temple, alongside that of her grandfather, who contributed to the temple’s public fund. On election day, a local politician, Arulmozhi Sudhakar, put up a banner wishing “the daughter of the land” success in the election.
Harris, who was born in California to an Indian mother and Jamaican father, has always acknowledged her Indian heritage. Despite her strong identification with her Black roots, Harris cherishes her connections to India, especially her memories of visiting family in the Chennai region as a child.
As the US election unfolds, the people of Thulasendrapuram are closely watching, hoping their prayers will contribute to Harris’s success on the global stage.
