The eyes of the world are currently fixed on the US election, yet this year’s election fervour has also reached Thulasendrapuram, a village 13,000 kilometres away in southern India.
In a move filled with cultural and familial significance, villagers in Thulasendrapuram in Tamil Nadu organised a special prayer ceremony on Tuesday (5 November), in hopes that Democratic candidate Kamala Harris will make history with a victory.
Harris’s familial roots trace back to this village, where her grandfather, PV Gopalan, was born years ago.
According to a report by British news agency Reuters, Harris's mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was also born in Tamil Nadu.
Shyamala, an esteemed cancer researcher, was not only dedicated to her field but was also active in the civil rights movement.
Kamala’s father, Donald Jasper Harris, is a Jamaican-American economist.
G Manikandar, a resident of Thulasendrapuram, expressed his pride and excitement for Kamala, saying, “Our own Indian, a woman of Tamil Nadu heritage, is contesting in the US Presidential elections. Surely, she will be victorious.”
The villagers organised a prayer ceremony in the temple to support Harris’s success.
Should she secure a win, they plan to celebrate with further festivities.
Social media videos show temple priests offering flowers and conducting rituals beside Harris’s portrait placed near the images of Hindu deities, symbolising their hopeful support.
