Thulasenthirapuram:

The tiny village of Thulasemthirapuram in Tamil Nadu is praying for US Presidential Democratic candidate Kamala Harris’ victory, strengthening her family’s ancestral ties with the village dating back a century. Initiated by the local elected councillor Arulmozhi, the priest of the temple of Kamala’s family deity performed a special ritual in her honour. 

“This is a powerful God. We prayed last time and she had become the Vice President. This time we are confident she’d become the President of the USA. She’s a sign of women empowerment and an inspiration for women to scale greater heights,” Arulmozhi told NDTV.

Kamala’s maternal grandfather PV Gopalan, a bureaucrat, was born and brought up here before he moved to the then-Madras where he used to take Kamala for a walk along Elliot’s Beach. Kamala has said her grandpa had made a tremendous impact on her.

Many years ago, Kamala donated Rs 5,000 for the renovation of the temple and her name remains engraved in the list of donors. 

“Kamala has to win to save democracy,” said Kamala’s friend Sharon, now based in Chennai. “She has to become the first woman President of the US. Already we are pretty late with many countries including India have had women Presidents and Prime Ministers.”

A few posters put up in the village hail Kamala as “a daughter of the soil” and wish her the best in the Presidential race. TS Anbarasan, another man from the village who now lives in the nearby Mannargudi town compared Kamala to Sunita Williams. “We are all proud of their Indian connection and their accomplishments. They are role models,” he said. 

Arulmozhi the councillor plans to serve a free meal on Wednesday if Kamala wins. “We will serve her favourite idly,” she says.

However, some in the village are also oblivious to what is happening. A man at the local tea shop near the temple added “Kamala’s grandfather lived here many decades ago. None of us know him and hence we are not following this.”

File picture of prasadam being offered to villagers of Thulasenthrapuram in Tiruvarur district outside the Sri Dharma Sastha temple, after prayers for the victory of U.S. presidential nominee Kamala Harris
| Photo Credit: M. Moorthy

An air of excitement and expectancy pervades the Thulasendrapuram village in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvarur district hoping that Kamala Harris wins in the U.S. presidential elections.

The villagers have performed prayers at the Sri Dharma Sastha temple in her ancestral village expecting her to trounce former president and Republican Donald Trump, and emerge victorious as Americans vote today to elect their next president.

Thulasendrapuram is the ancestral village of Ms. Harris’s grandfather and former Indian diplomat P.V. Gopalan. Her mother Shyamala was Gopalan’s daughter.

The village hogged the limelight in August 2020 when Ms. Harris was nominated as the Democrat vice-president candidate, and it later celebrated her victory the same year.

“Our sincere prayers are for the victory of the daughter of the soil in the election and to become the president of the most influential country in the world,” says councillor Arulmozhi and her spouse T Sudhakar, who have organised a special abishekam of sandalwood and turmeric, besides a special ‘archanai’ to the presiding deity at the Sri Dharma Sastha temple, the family deity of Ms. Harris’s ancestors.

They have erected a massive banner carrying her picture, wishing her success in the election.

Similar prayers filled the air in Madurai where Anushanathin Anugraham, a spiritual organisation, held a special prayer on November 4.

If Ms. Harris wins in the poll, then the village leaders in Painganadu in the district will offer ‘annadhanam’ (free food) to the poor.

“Her ancestors are from our village .. she is a woman fighting for the big post and we want her to win,” says Arulmozhi.

Ms. Harris’s maternal grandfather Gopalan was born in this village before moving to Chennai. He had contributed nearly ₹1 lakh to the Sri Dharma Sastha temple.

A donation of ₹5,000 was made to the temple towards its Kumbhabhishekam (consecration) in the name of Kamala Harris in 2014, indicating her connection to the temple, though no one from her family lives in the village today.

Her donation prompted the temple authorities to inscribe her name on a stone tablet containing the list of donors to the shrine.

File picture of prasadam being offered to villagers of Thulasenthrapuram in Tiruvarur district outside the Sri Dharma Sastha temple, after prayers for the victory of U.S. presidential nominee Kamala Harris
| Photo Credit: M. Moorthy

An air of excitement and expectancy pervades the Thulasendrapuram village in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvarur district hoping that Kamala Harris wins in the U.S. presidential elections.

The villagers have performed prayers at the Sri Dharma Sastha temple in her ancestral village expecting her to trounce former president and Republican Donald Trump, and emerge victorious as Americans vote today to elect their next president.

Thulasendrapuram is the ancestral village of Ms. Harris’s grandfather and former Indian diplomat P.V. Gopalan. Her mother Shyamala was Gopalan’s daughter.

The village hogged the limelight in August 2020 when Ms. Harris was nominated as the Democrat vice-president candidate, and it later celebrated her victory the same year.

“Our sincere prayers are for the victory of the daughter of the soil in the election and to become the president of the most influential country in the world,” says councillor Arulmozhi and her spouse T Sudhakar, who have organised a special abishekam of sandalwood and turmeric, besides a special ‘archanai’ to the presiding deity at the Sri Dharma Sastha temple, the family deity of Ms. Harris’s ancestors.

They have erected a massive banner carrying her picture, wishing her success in the election.

Similar prayers filled the air in Madurai where Anushanathin Anugraham, a spiritual organisation, held a special prayer on November 4.

If Ms. Harris wins in the poll, then the village leaders in Painganadu in the district will offer ‘annadhanam’ (free food) to the poor.

“Her ancestors are from our village .. she is a woman fighting for the big post and we want her to win,” says Arulmozhi.

Ms. Harris’s maternal grandfather Gopalan was born in this village before moving to Chennai. He had contributed nearly ₹1 lakh to the Sri Dharma Sastha temple.

A donation of ₹5,000 was made to the temple towards its Kumbhabhishekam (consecration) in the name of Kamala Harris in 2014, indicating her connection to the temple, though no one from her family lives in the village today.

Her donation prompted the temple authorities to inscribe her name on a stone tablet containing the list of donors to the shrine.