Residents prepare to put up a hoarding with a photo of US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at her ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on January 20, 2021.
Arun Sankar | AFP | Getty Images
As Kamala Harris made history on Wednesday when she was sworn in as the first female, Black and South Asian American vice president of the United States, a tiny village in India celebrated her ascension in politics with firecrackers and prayers.
Harris, 56, is a daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants.
Her maternal grandfather was born in the village of Thulasendrapuram, about 215 miles from Chennai in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu more than 100 years ago, the Associated Press reported.
Groups of women in bright saris and men wearing white dhoti pants — a type of sarong worn by men in India — watched Harris’ inauguration live in Thulasendrapuram, according to the AP. The villagers chanted “Long live Kamala Harris” while holding portraits of her and blasted off fireworks the moment she took the oath, the AP reported.
Harris’ late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, was also born in India before she moved to the U.S. to study, where she received a Ph.D in nutrition and endocrinology from the University of California at Berkeley, and met Harris’ father, Donald Harris. On numerous occasions, Harris has credited her mother with being a “force of nature and the greatest source of inspiration in my life.“
As an alumna of Howard University and member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Harris is also the first vice president to have graduated from a historically Black college and to be in a historically Black Greek letter organization.
It takes a village to celebrate Kamala Harris
People holding placards with the photo of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris celebrate on the day of her inauguration in the village of Thulasendrapuram, where Harris’ maternal grandfather was born and grew up, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, India, January 20, 2021.
P. Ravikumar | Reuters
Distributing sweets
Villagers holding photos of US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris distribute sweets to celebrate at Harris’ ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on January 20, 2021.
Arun Sankar | AFP | Getty Images
Preparing the fireworks
A villager holding a photo of US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris prepares to light firecrackers to celebrate at Harris’ ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on January 20, 2021.
Arun Sankar | AFP | Getty Images
People light firecrackers to celebrate the inauguration
People holding placards with the photo of U.S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris light firecrackers as they celebrate on the day of her inauguration in the village of Thulasendrapuram, where Harris’ maternal grandfather was born and grew up, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, India, January 20, 2021.
P. Ravikumar | Reuters
Making traditional snacks
A woman makes a traditional snack to celebrate the inauguration of US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at Harris’ ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on January 20, 2021.
Arun Sankar | AFP | Getty Images
A boy watches Kamala Harris’ inaugural ceremony
A boy holds pictures of US Democratic Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris as he attends a gathering to watch Kamala Harris inaugural ceremony at her ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on January 20, 2021.
Arun Sankar | AFP | Getty Images
Villagers offer prayers at a Hindu temple
Villagers offer prayers at a Hindu temple for US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at her ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on January 20, 2021.
Arun Sankar | AFP | Getty Images
Celebrations begin after she’s sworn in as the U.S. vice president
People hold posters of Kamala Harris to celebrate after she was sworn in as U.S. Vice President during the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States, in the village of Thulasendrapuram, where Harris’ maternal grandfather was born and grew up, in Tamil Nadu state, India, January 20, 2021.
P. Ravikumar | Reuters
