Chennai: People of Thulasendrapuram in Tiruvarur district, the ancestral village of Kamala Harris’ maternal grandfather, organised prayers for her party’s victory in the US elections.
villagers organised a special pooja at the Sri Dharma Sastha temple. Free idli and sambhar were also distributed to all devotees.
J Sudhakar, a resident of Painganadu and the president of the Green City Rotary Club, Mannargudi, said, “The pooja lasted for over four hours, with abishekham of milk, honey, turmeric powder, coconut water, lime and holy ash performed separately for Sri Dharma Sastha.”
A poster in the village read, “From Thulasenthirapuram to America. US vice president candidate contestant from the native origin of Thulasenthirapuram Kamala Harris, we wish her great success.”
Kamala Harris’ mother Shyamala Gopalan, a leading cancer researcher who moved to the US for studying, was an Indian and her father was a Jamaican. Shyamala’s father, PV Gopalan, was a high-ranking civil servant. He was born in Thulasenthirapuram, 320 km from Chennai.