A YEAR OF A LOT OF FIRST! – IMPACT OF KAMALA HARRIS WIN

The first woman of color has been elected to be the Vice President of the United States of America. Kamala Harris made history when she was sworn in as the first Indian-American-Jamaican person to take office. She getting elected as the Vice President of the West was a big hit not only in the West, but it was an equally big deal in India as well. Do you know why?.

Kamala Harris traces her maternal ancestry to Tamil Naidu, and she has never shied away from owning her Indian heritage on her sleeves. Last year, during the USA election campaign, a photo went viral that showed Kamala and her maternal grandparents, Rajam Gopalan and P.V. Gopalan, sitting with her sister, Maya Harris, and two nieces. She was donning a red saree with a black blouse, chopped hair, and a bindi. As this picture went viral, it led everyone to believe Kamala Harris might wear a traditional Indian suit or a saree for her swearing-in ceremony, but to everyone’s surprise, she chose to wear a purple dress with a purple coat on top.

ANCESTRAL HISTORY

Thulasendrapuram is a small Indian village located 350 kilometers from the southern coastal city of Chennai. Kamala’s maternal grandfather was born in this village.

Her grandfather was born more than 100 years ago. Kamala's late mother was also born in India before moving to the USA to study at the University of California.The residents of Thulasendrapuram, which is surrounded by rice paddies and Hindu temples, were super excited and proud to see someone from their village nominated to be the vice president of America. They were eagerly watching the ceremony live and cheering for her as she was sworn in. They even lit firecrackers and cheered for Kamala Harris while holding her portraits. Earlier, women wearing bright colored sarees and men wearing dhotis offered flowers and conducted a special pooja, praying for her success. Posters and banners of Kamala Harris are still stuck on the walls of this village, and many hope she ascends to be the president of the United States in 2024.

HER PARENTS

Shyamala was born in Madras into a privileged Tamil Brahmin family. The Gopalans were very progressive in their thinking and imprinted the importance of education on their children. After finishing her graduation from a women’s college in New Delhi, Shyamala secretly applied to Berkeley University in spite of the fact that no one in their family had visited the United States. Her farther was surprised at this, but eventually dug into his savings and sent Shyamala to study ahead.

She met Donald Harris in 1962. They bonded over left-wing politics, and despite her plans of returning to India after finishing her education, they got married in 1963. Their first child was born in Oakland in 1964. Harris mother chose the baby girl's name in tribute to her Indian heritage and named her “Kamala Devi Harris,” which means Lotus in Sanskrit and is also another name for the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. Their second daughter, Maya, was born after two years. Kamala’s parents got divorced in 1971, when she was just 7 years old. Kamala was quoted as saying she hardly heard them fight about their marriage collapsing, but they had definitely become like water and oil.

Although she did hear them quarrel during a custody agreement in court where Donald thought his parental rights were limited,Slowly, Donald became a rare presence in his daughter’s life, and his visits were limited to weekends, summer visits, and trips to Jamaica. Shyamala made sure both her daughters got a proper upbringing and education, and she also educated them about their diverse cultures. Kamala would also visit a Hindu temple regularly with her mother.

INSPIRED BY HER MOTHER AND HER INDIA HERITAGE

Harris has spoken on multiple occasions about her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, and how she has impacted her life in such a drastic manner. She had a magnificent impact on the Harris value system and upbringing. Shyamala Gopalan hails from Chennai, is a researcher for breast cancer, and has raised Kamala and her sister Maya, a singer, after separating from her husband Donald Harris.

LOVE FOR INDIAN FOOD

Even though she was brought up in America, her love for food back home has not diminished. She had said in a social media interview that she loves eating Idli with a really good authentic Sambhar and also loves to eat barbecue tikkas. Kamala also loves to cook and play host for her friends. One such evening, she made Masala Dosa for actress Mindy Kaling while they sat discussing politics over dinner.

CELEBRATING HINDU FESTIVALS

Even though she was born and brought up in America, she has not forgotten her roots and Indian customs and festivals. Though it is a regular custom for world leaders to acknowledge notable festivals from across the globe, when Harris does it, it kind of becomes a big deal.

She tweeted “Happy Diwali and Saal Mubarak” on the auspicious occasion of Diwali and the New Year. She also tweeted, “Happy Independence Day! Reflecting on the past 74 years, it is remarkable how much progress our people have made in the fight for justice.I hope you’ll join me today in celebrating and then commit to building an even better future.” on August 15th.

SPOUSE

Kamala Harris is married to Douglas Emhoff, which makes him the first second gentleman in American history. He was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from California State University and the USC Gould School of Law. He was married to Kerstin Emhoff, who has been a film producer for 16 years. They have two kids named Cole Emhoff and Ella Emhoff. But eventually Douglas and Kerstin got divorced and married Kamala on August 22, 2014, in Santa Barbara, California.

Kamala became a stepmom to the Douglas children, but she and the kids agreed they did not like the term stepmom, so instead they came up with the term momala. Kamala was quoted as saying Cole and Ella are her endless source of joy, that her life would not be complete without them, and that she takes her Momala duties very seriously.

DRESSING STYLE

Harris has a peculiar dressing style. She is a woman of conviction and dedicated to her work; this is elegantly reflected in her dressing style. Her wardrobe often features skinny pants combined with a sharp blazer accessorized with pearls and sneakers. Her unique style of combining blazers with sneakers shows how approachable she is and also signals a new way of power dressing.

These elegant, business-like tailored outfits date back to when she was working as a lawyer in San Francisco. Back then, she also had a huge collection of blazers in neutral colors, along with bold accessories like colorfully patterned scarves and sneakers. Jangly bracelets, bangles, and some pearl necklaces.

BUZZ AROUND THE INAUGURATION DAY

Being the daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother and being the first black female and South Asian American to be elected as Vice President, Kamla Harris created history at 56. Because of her Indian roots, there was a lot of buzz around what she would wear to the swearing-in ceremony. There were speculations about her wearing something from an Indian designer or a black designer. People were wondering if she would wear a saree, a pant suit, or a blazer dress.Indians across the globe were actually rooting for her to wear traditional attire, especially after the picture of her in a saree went viral about a year ago. But to everyone's disappointment, she did not.

Well, she ended up wearing a crisp purple dress along with a purple overcoat designed by two black designers named Sergio Hudson and Christopher John Rogers. Harris has managed to dress in a way that is true to herself and also lets her be taken seriously. She has proven to all the young working professionals that you do not have to be a fashion slave to be stylish and get noticed. You can be stylish with the utmost confidence by wearing what you are comfortable with. The reason behind wearing two black designers who were born in America on such an important day further tells us that she plans to keep uplifting the community through politics she so deeply loves and admires.

One can also say Harris was conveying an unsaid message through her choice of clothes, saying, “American creativity is not limited to only white people but belongs to all those coming from different backgrounds and cultures in America. ”Even though some people might debate that people who immigrated out of India a long time ago have no more connection to India and are not close to Indian tradition and culture, I believe it is still a big deal for an Indian, Jamaican, or American black woman to be elected as the Vice President of the United States of America, and we should definitely celebrate this as a win against gender discrimination and racism globally.