Topline
Presidential election results in the U.S. triggered contrasting reactions in two small villages in southern India, as the residents of Vadluru—the ancestral home of Vice President-elect JD Vance’s wife Usha—celebrated President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, while those living in Kamala Harris’ ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram were dismayed by her defeat.
Residents of Vadluru—Usha Vance’s ancestral village—celebrated Trump and Vance’s win by bursting … [+]
Key Facts
Vadluru, located in the Telegu-speaking south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, celebrated the news of Usha Vance becoming the next U.S. second lady with firecrackers.
The village’s Hindu priest had organized special prayers for a Trump win, and he told the Hindustan Times that they hoped she would “recognize her roots and do something good for this village.”
Vance’s grandfather was a resident of Vadluru, but eventually moved out and her father Chilukuri Radhakrishnan mostly grew up in the city of Chennai before moving to the U.S.
The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh also celebrated Vance’s achievement and said “Usha Vance, who has roots in Andhra Pradesh, will become the first woman of Telugu heritage to serve as the Second Lady of the US,” and called it a “moment of pride for the Telugu community.”
Contrasting scenes played out in Thulasendrapuram in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu, as many residents who had prayed for a Harris win said they were disappointed with the result, but were nevertheless proud of her achievements.
A day before the U.S. went to the polls, the main temple in Thulasendrapuram held a special puja (Hindu worship ritual), which was attended by a few American tourists visiting the area.
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Key Background
Usha Chilukuri Vance was born in San Diego, California, to Telugu-speaking parents who migrated from India in the late 1970s and had roots in Andhra Pradesh. Vance hails from a family of academics; her grandfather Ramasastry Chilukuri taught physics at the prestigious IIT Madras, and the institute still has a student award named in his memory. Her father Chilukuri Radhakrishnan is a mechanical engineering graduate from IIT Madras, who later worked as a professor at San Diego State University, while her mother Laksmi Chilukuri is a marine molecular biologist and provost at the University of California, San Diego. Vance’s great-aunt, Shanthamma Chilukuri, is one of her few close relatives still residing in Andhra Pradesh. Local media claims the 96-year-old Shanthamma is the oldest active professor in the country. Vance herself is a graduate of Yale Law School.
Tangent
Harris’ maternal grandfather PV Gopalan was born in Thulasendrapuram in 1911. He would go on to become a civil servant in British-ruled India, which eventually became the Indian civil service after the country gained independence. Later in his life, Gopalan served on an Indian diplomatic mission to Zambia to help the country manage an influx of refugees from Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia) as the country fought for its independence. Harris’s mother Shyamala was one of Gopalan’s four children and she emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 19 to study at U.C. Berkeley. Harris’ name, along with her maternal grandfather’s, is inscribed on a stone tablet inside the village temple as the vice president donated to the temple in 2014 for its consecration after a renovation.
Vadluru residents watch the results of the 2024 US presidential election on TV.
Villagers offer prayers for the victory of US Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate … [+]
Villagers celebrate the election result of former US president and Republican presidential candidate … [+]
Vadluru residents hoped Usha Vance would “recognize her roots and do something good for this … [+]
A woman draws a a traditional artwork called Kolam, that reads “Greetings America, our wishes for … [+]
Villagers participate in special prayers for Vice President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha Hindu … [+]
Tourists from the U.S. attended a special prayer at Thulasendrapuram’s main temple.
School children walk past a banner with Harris’s image. Locals said they were disappointed with the … [+]
Further Reading
First appeared on www.forbes.com