Kamala Harris, who was recently chosen as the running mate for US president hopeful, Joe Biden recently spoke about her Indian roots.
Ahead of India’s independence day celebration on the 15th of August, Harris talked about her mother, Shyamala [Gopalan] – who hailed from southern India’s Chennai – which was previously called Madras.
During a recent event, the 55 year old talked about her childhood visits to the country along with her mother, and her love for the food and culture.
“When my mother Shyamala [Gopalan] stepped off a plane in California as a 19-year-old, she didn’t have much in way of belongings but she carried with her lessons from home, including ones she’d learned from her parents,” she said.
Kamala further remembered some more bits from her childhood while addressing the crowd:
“Growing up, my mother would take my sister Maya and me back to what was then called Madras because she wanted us to understand where she had come from and where we had ancestry. And, of course, she always wanted to instil in us, a love of good idli.”
Senator Harris also remembered her grandfather and Indian history that was taught to her from him:
“In Madras, I would go on long walks with my grandfather, who at that point was retired, and we take morning walks where I pulled his hand and he would tell me about the heroes who are responsible for the birth of the world’s biggest democracy, and he would explain that it’s on us to pick up where they left off. Those lessons are a big reason why I am where I am today.”
If Kamala makes it to office as Vice President, assisting Biden, she would become the first African-American and Indian-American to do so.