CHENNAI: It is an early Diwali for the residents of Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village in Tamil Nadu of Democratic Party vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris, as Joe Biden made his way to the White House.
The villagers were in a festive mood, drawing rangolis in front of their houses and wishing Kamala success, as Biden clinched the US presidential election on Friday.
Rangolis which read "We Wish Kamala Harris Wins" were drawn on the front yard of several houses. The residents said they had been eagerly waiting to hear the victory news. "Kamala Harris is the daughter of our village. From children to senior citizens, each one of us is awaiting the day she would take oath as the vice president of the US," said S Arunmozhi, Mannargudi Union chairman. M Abirami, a resident of the village, said they were waiting to celebrate her taking the vice-president's office in a grand manner.
The villagers had performed puja at the Sri Dharma Shastha temple on Tuesday, the last day of voting, and also offered annadhanam (free food), serving Kamala's favourite dish - idli with sambar - to people at the temple premises.
In 2014, Kamala's aunt Dr Sarala Gopalan had donated money for the consecration of the temple which houses the family deity of the Gopalans. The name of Kamala Harris has been engraved on the plague in the temple.
Located in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvarur district, Thulasendrapuram is the native village of Kamala's maternal grandfather and former Indian diplomat P V Gopalan. She was born to Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris in California. P V Gopalan was born in this village, about 150 km from Trichy.