Kamala Harris' ancestral village hosts special prayers for her success on inauguration day

With just a few hours left until Vice President-elect Kamala Harris takes charge, her native village in India is glimmering with joy. Thulasendhirapuram, located in Tamil Nadu is where her maternal grandfather spent his life and on Tuesday, residents held special prayers in town temple for Kamala’s success. “We are feeling very proud that an Indian is being elected as the vice president of America,” said Anukampa Madhavasimhan, a teacher.

_{Credits: Associated Press}

Ahead of her Vice Presidential inauguration, the village resident burst firecrackers and distributed sweets. Many children, especially girls, were seen holding placards and posters of Vice president-elect. Previously in November, when Kamala was campaigning for the elections, the zealous residents had covered the village walls with her ornate posters. The posters, which served as a mark of support and respect,  still adorn the walls of the tiny village, Associated Press reported.

_{Credits: Associated Press}

‘If she supports India…’

Gopalan, who was very close to Kamala, served the small village as a civil servant before moving to Chennai. Late on Tuesday, January 19, the villagers hosted special prayers at town temple repeating chants for the vice president’s success. Speaking to Associated Press, G Manikandan, who has followed Harris politically and whose shop proudly displays a wall calendar with pictures of Biden and Harris said that Kamala had the potential of becoming the President of America if she keeps on supporting India for the next four years.

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_{Credits: Associated Press}

Biden-Harris Inauguration Day

The inauguration of 46th US President-elect Joe Biden is scheduled to take place around 10:00-10:30 PM (IST) or 11:30 AM (ET) on January 20 amid concerns of potentially armed protests across the nation. The historic swearing-in ceremony for Biden and first woman US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be one-of-a-kind with a mixture of virtual and in-person attendees owing to the alarming situation of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The ceremony, which will be held outside the US Capitol just weeks after the stunning attack by Trump supporters, is also taking place after a chaotic transition with Trump still left to congratulate his successor. The event will feature a message from the US First Lady-elect Jill Biden along with commentary from historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Erica Armstrong Dunbar. The event is reportedly aimed to start around 11 AM local time with national anthem and invocation on January 20. 

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