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Thulasendrapuram

Thulasendrapuram
Village
Thulasendrapuram is located in Tamil Nadu
Thulasendrapuram
Thulasendrapuram
Location in Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates: 10°35′51″N 79°27′10″E / 10.5976093°N 79.4527823°E / 10.5976093; 79.4527823
Country India
StateTamil Nadu
DistrictTiruvarur
Languages
 • OfficialTamil
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
614 020

Thulasendrapuram is a village in Tiruvarur district, Tamil Nadu, India.[1] It is about 7 km from Mannargudi and 300 km from the state capital Chennai.[2] In 2020, its population was approximately 350.[3][4]

Relationship to Kamala Harris

Thulasendrapuram was the home of P. V. Gopalan, an Indian career civil servant who was the maternal grandfather of Kamala Harris, the 49th Vice President of the United States.[3][5][6] In 2014, when Harris served as the Attorney General of California, she donated 5,000 (US$60) to the village's temple dedicated to the deity Sastha, and her name was engraved on the temple's list of donors.[2] Harris gained fame in the village when she was elected as the Vice President of the United States in 2020,[2] and the people of Thulasendrapuram celebrated her victory with a communal feast,[7] firecrackers, and prayers.[3]

When Harris began her presidential campaign in the 2024 United States presidential election, residents installed a large banner depicting her outside of the village's main Hindu temple.[8] Prior to the election, locals rallied and prayed to Aiyanar for her victory.[9]

Harris has never visited Thulasendrapuram, and does not have any immediate family living there.[9] Despite this, she is especially popular among the women of the village, who commonly refer to her as "sister" or "mother" as a sign of respect.[7][10] Arulmozhi Sudhakar, a politician of Thulasendrapuram, described Harris as "a daughter of the land".[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Thulasendirapuram" (PDF). List of Village Panchayats in Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Sankaran, Vishwam (1 August 2024). "How Kamala Harris is still the pride of her Indian ancestral village". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Aijaz Rahi (8 November 2020). "Firecrackers and prayers as Indians celebrate Harris' win". AP. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Kamala Harris' ancestral home celebrates her US election victory". South China Morning Post. Associated Press. 8 November 2020. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Prayers for Kamala Harris in ancestral Indian village, for Trump in Delhi". CNN. AFP. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  6. ^ Petersson, Torbjörn (11 August 2024). "Byborna hoppas att Kamala Harris ärvt morfaderns kyla". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024. Hennes morfar Painganadu Venkatraman Gopalan Iyer – ofta förkortat PV Goplan – (född 1911) flyttade från Thulasendrapuram, gifte sig och fick fyra barn.
  7. ^ a b Venkatasubramanian, Saradha. "Kamala Harris: The tiny Indian village claiming her as its own". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  8. ^ Ray, Siladitya. "Kamala Harris' Ancestral Village In India Celebrates Her Presidential Run With Prayers, Sweets And Cautious Excitement". Forbes. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  9. ^ a b "A tiny village in India where Kamala Harris has ancestral roots is praying for her victory". AP News. 5 November 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  10. ^ Ray, Siladitya. "Kamala Harris' Ancestral Village In India Celebrates Her Presidential Run With Prayers, Sweets And Cautious Excitement". Forbes. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  11. ^ Khandekar, Omkar (22 August 2024). "In Kamala Harris' ancestral village in India, people cheer her U.S. presidential bid". NPR. Retrieved 30 October 2024.