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Kamala Harris’ ancestral Indian village prays for her US presidential victory

Banners and billboards bearing her face adorn the village of Thulasendrapuram, while the local temple holds special prayers for her success

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Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris cheer for her beside a poster in Thulasendrapuram, the village where Harris’ maternal grandfather was born. Photo: Reuters

The temple reverberated with rhythmic Sanskrit and Tamil hymns, as a Hindu priest held a flame before the god. As this tiny South Indian village gathered to pray for Kamala Harris, a gaggle of reporters jostled for space and camera angles.

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There’s little to distinguish the village of Thulasendrapuram from any other rural community in Tamil Nadu, except its connection to a woman who could become America’s first leader with South Asian roots.

As millions of Americans vote, Harris has people rooting for her from thousands of miles away in a village surrounded by rice paddies and coconut trees, where her mother’s family has ancestral ties. They talk about her at the local tea shop. Banners and billboards bearing her face are seen throughout the community.

“Our deity is a very powerful God. If we pray well to him, he will make her victorious,” said M. Natarajan, the temple priest that led the prayers in front of the image of Hindu deity Ayyanar, a form of Lord Shiva.

A villager prays in front of the idols of Hindu goddesses for a presidential victory for US Vice-President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India. Photo: AP
A villager prays in front of the idols of Hindu goddesses for a presidential victory for US Vice-President Kamala Harris, at Sri Dharmasastha temple in Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of Harris, in Tamil Nadu state, India. Photo: AP

Harris’ maternal grandfather was born in the village, about 350 kilometres (215 miles) from the southern coastal city of Chennai, more than 100 years ago. As an adult, he moved to Chennai, where he worked as a high-ranking government official until his retirement.

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