Kamala Harris recalls spending time with grandfather in India, hails his social teachings

The Democratic party vice-president nominee Kamala Harris took to Twitter on August 26 to remember her grandfather, a former Indian civil servant, and how he would take her for long walks in Delhi and discuss the importance of "fighting for democracy' and "civil rights".

Harris, an African-Asian US citizen, has been chosen by Democratic candidate Joe Biden as his running mate. Harris has often spoken about her Indian roots, for which the 55-year-old is being seen as a major vote-grabber among the Indian-American community in the 2020 US presidential election. 

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In the short video clip posted by the California Senator on Wednesday, a news presenter opens by stating that Kamala Harris is the first person of Indian heritage to be nominated for vice president on a major party ticket. The video shows a clip of Harris being officially nominated as the Democratic party candidate for the 2020 poll.

The clip then transitions into a series of pictures of Harris' grandparents and other family members while the Congresswoman can be heard in the background saying, "My grandparents were phenomenal. We would go back to India like every other year. My grandfather fought for and was a defender of the freedom of India."

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"When I was a young girl, being the eldest grandchild, would take me on his morning walk. All of his buddies, who also were great leaders, they would talk about the importance of fighting for democracy and the importance of fighting for civil rights and that people would be treated equally regardless of where they were born or the circumstances of their birth. Those walks along the beach in India really planted something in my mind and created a commitment in me before I even realised it, that has led me to where I am today," says Harris in the 57-second-long clip that also features pictures and videos of the US politician taking part in protests and other political activity in her country of birth. 

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'Favourite in the world'

During her run for the Democratic party presidential nomination earlier this year, Harris had told the press that her "grandfather was one of her favourite people in the world". Harris has often talked about her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, and how she played an important role in shaping her and making her what she is today.

Harris' mother, who was born in Chennai, India, married a Jamaican man after moving to the US for higher studies. But the couple divorced after a few years and Harris was raised by her mother single-handedly. 

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