Residents of a small South Indian village have gathered to pray for Kamala Harris’s success in the US presidential election.
There is little to distinguish the village of Thulasendrapuram from any other rural community in Tamil Nadu, except its connection to the woman who could become America’s first leader with South Asian roots.
As millions of Americans vote, Ms Harris has people rooting for her from thousands of miles away in a village where her mother’s family has ancestral ties. Banners and billboards bearing her face are seen throughout the community.
“Our deity is a very powerful God. If we pray well to him, he will make her victorious,” said M Natarajan, the temple priest who led the prayers in front of the image of Hindu deity Ayyanar, a form of Lord Shiva.
M Natarajan, head priest of Sri Dharmasastha Hindu temple, points out Kamala Harris’s name on a plaque displaying names of donors written in Tamil (Aijaz Rahi/AP)
Ms Harris’s maternal grandfather was born in the village, about 350km (215 miles) from the southern coastal city of Chennai, more than 100 years ago. As an adult, he moved to Chennai, where he worked as a high-ranking government official until his retirement.
Ms Harris has never visited Thulasendrapuram and she has no living relatives in the village, but people here still venerate her family.
“Our village ancestors’ granddaughter is running as a US presidential candidate. Her victory will be happy news for every one of us,” Mr Natarajan said.
The village’s sudden fame has helped bring money in. Recently, construction began on a water storage tank with funds donated by a local bank. Village residents say it will carry a plaque with Ms Harris’s name.
Ms Harris’s late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India. After moving to the US to study, she married a Jamaican man, and they named their daughter Kamala, a Sanskrit word for “lotus flower”.
Other than trips during her childhood, Ms Harris has not visited India much but she has often spoken emotionally about her ties to her late mother’s country of birth. On Tuesday, she released a campaign video highlighting her mother, who arrived in the US at age 19 and became a cancer researcher.
Titled Mother, the video ends with a narrator saying: “This daughter of Shyamala, this daughter of the American story, is ready to lead us forward.”
Ms Harris has often talked about how she was guided by the values of her Indian-born grandfather and mother. She has also spoken of her love of south Indian food, especially a type of steamed rice cake called idli.
Ms Harris’s name is engraved in a list of donors — her aunt Sarala Gopalan gave money to the temple in her name — along with that of her grandfather. Outside, a large banner wishes “the daughter of the land” success in the election.
Manikandan Ganesan, a villager who runs a small store near the temple, said Ms Harris’s bid for the presidency has made the village famous. He hopes Ms Harris will eventually visit them.
“Even if she mentioned that she would visit our village, it would make us very happy,” Mr Ganesan said. “Her victory itself will be a big source of happiness for us.”
Local politician Arulmozhi Sudhakar said: “From the time when women were not even allowed to step out of their house, to now a woman from our village contesting in the US presidential election — this brings happiness for us.
“The coming generations will see her as a role model to succeed in life.”