This presidential race will be watched closely around that world, not least in Southern India, where the Democratic candidate and the wife of Donald Trump’s running mate both have roots
Back in 2019, when Kamala Devi Harris – who this week became the Democratic Party’s candidate for US president – cooked a ‘dosa’ (a crispy Indian crepe made from fermented batter, stuffed with spicy potato) and a ‘sambar’ (a lentil-based spicy vegetable stew), assisted by Indian-American actress Mindy Kaling, it took social media by storm.
Kamala’s dosa brought smiles to the faces of residents of Thulasendrapuram village in the Tiruvarur district of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu – Kamala’s ancestral village.
A year later, when she became Joe Biden‘s vice president, the village erupted in celebration as people ignited firecrackers, distributed sweets, held special prayers, and even drew colourful ‘kolams’ (a traditional decorative art drawn using rice flour) on their doorsteps.
Now, it’s not just Kamala Harris whose south Indian roots have come to the fore in the 2024 US election. Usha Chilukuri Vance, wife of Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance, is also in the limelight due to her Indian connections. She is from a family of illustrious academics in Visakhapatnam, a port city in Andhra Pradesh.
As both women are engaged in a high decibel political battle on US soil, back home in India, the US election has become a keenly watched event.
Incidentally, two other Americans of Indian ethnicity were involved in the presidential election at the primary stage: former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, whose parents emigrated from India’s breadbasket, Punjab, and who was Trump’s last competitor for the Republican party’s nomination; and Vivek Ramaswamy, whose family’s roots are in the south Indian state of Kerala.