Kamala Harris’ historic election as vice president celebrated in ancestral village in India

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ ancestral village in southern India rejoiced on Sunday after she and

President-elect Biden was projected to win the presidency. Firecrackers erupted and prayers were held in

Thulasendrapuram, the village where Harris’ maternal grandfather was born and raised after she made

history by becoming the first woman, the first Indian American, and the first Black woman to win the second-highest U.S. office.

Residents wrote “Congratulations Kamala Harris. Pride of our village” in colorful powder in front of their

homes and celebrated by handing out buckets of freshly made traditional sweets and playing music,

according to Reuters. At the village temple, a priest performed a special prayer in celebration of Harris’ win.

Some residents waved posters featuring a photo of Harris, while others set off firecrackers.

Villagers had also assembled at a temple for a ritual and prayed for a Biden-Harris victory in the days leading up to the election.

“A woman hailing from this small village now holds one of the highest positions in U.S. It’s a proud moment,” R Kamaraj, a government minister in the southern state of Tamil Nadu who joined the celebrations, told Reuters.

Even though her ancestors moved away decades ago, the small village of Thulasendrapuram has embraced Harris.

Kamala Harris' historic election as vice president celebrated in ancestral village in India https://t.co/mxxG87yQvu

— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 9, 2020

Harris’ mother, who was born in India and moved to California for graduate school, often took her to India to

visit their family. Harris’ grandfather, P.V. Gopalan migrated from Thulasendrapuram to Chennai, capital of

the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, nearly 90 years ago.