As Kamala Harris inches closer to victory, Tamil Nadu's twin villages prepare for early Deepavali
Nagapattinam (TN): With Democratic candidate for the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris confident of her victory, the people of two villages in Tamil Nadu, which are native to her maternal grandparents, are also equally convinced that she would emerge victorious and eager to celebrate her win, an early Deepavali.
The mood is upbeat at Thulasenthirapuram and Painganadu, tucked away in a corner of Tiruvarur district, a part of the fertile Cauvery delta region, and people are waiting only for a formal declaration that Kamala has won alongside Joe Biden to start celebrations.
The villagers have now kept firecrackers ready to hail a win for Kamala Harris, also a US Senator.
Women are also planning to draw a mega rangoli in front of the village temple.
"We have collected Rangoli powders in different colours and are planning to draw the image of Kamala Harris.
It is a matter of pride for the entire womenfolk," said Meenakshi, a housewife at Thulasenthirapuram.
The people feel proud that their villages happen to be the native place of the grandparents of Kamala Harris.
The road leading to Thulasenthirapuram and Painganadu villages from nearby Mannargudi town is filled with wall posters and digital banners wishing a resounding win for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Though it may sound strange, US presidential election results are an animated topic of discussion presently in this hinterland of Tamil Nadu in public places like tea stalls.
Some people are also glued to the television looking for updates on US elections.
Earlier, on November 2, when the US went to the polls, the people performed special prayers in the local temple praying for a win for Kamala.
Thulasenthirapuram and Painganadu are agrarian villages and are located very close to each other near Mannargudi which is about 50 km from here.
Kamala's grandfather P V Gopalan moved out of Thulasenthirapuram village as a young man and took up a job in the British government service.
Her grandmother Rajam belonged to the nearby Painganadu village.
Though Kamala's ancestors left the village many decades ago, family members had kept their connections with the temple at Thulasenthirapuram intact.
Gopalan and other family members have made donations for temple renovation during various periods.
As recently as 2014, a donation was made says the temple trustee Ramani.
"It all started about a year back when Kamala Harris herself disclosed about her grandfather in social media. We realized that someone connected with our village was becoming prominent in the US.
Everyone here started talking about her," said Ramanathan, a retired school teacher in the village.
"We don't know much about her ancestors. Yet, it feels good she is creating history in the US," he added.
In all likelihood, Thulasenthirapuram and Painganadu villages appear to be headed for prolonged celebrations.
Confident of their victory in the US presidential election, Democratic candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris have begun working on the task ahead by focusing on two critical areas of public health and economy, both battered by the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
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Tell US President Donald Trump to stop West Asia conflict: Owaisi to PM Modi
Hyderabad (PTI): AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "break his silence" on the conflict in West Asia and ask US President Donald Trump to end the war.
Addressing a gathering here, he also asked the PM to provide a full account of the sinking of an Iranian ship, IRIS Dena, off Sri Lanka by a US military submarine two days ago.
Taking strong exception to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's recent announcement regarding Indian oil imports, he said the BJP-RSS should give a strong response to the American official and assert that India would purchase oil according to its own will.
He accused the BJP-RSS combine of being "scared" of US President Donald Trump.
"This war should end. Prime Minister should break his silence. Take the phone and tell Trump to stop this tamasha. They (US) are not suffering any losses. Our citizens are suffering. Who is dying there? Indians are dying. You maintained silence over Gaza," he said.
Owaisi dismissed the argument that the Iranian vessel sank outside the Indian waters, saying it is important to realise that it occurred close to India.
"If a Chinese ship comes close to our nation, what would you do? You say that it was not in Indian waters. Water does not have borders. You see how close the enemy has come. It is the Constitutional responsibility of the Prime Minister to tell the country what happened. We are with America in Quad," he said.
Pointing to India's strategic agreements with the US, the AIMIM leader said the Iranian frigate had visited Visakhapatnam at the invitation of India, while America had refused to participate in the naval exercise there.
Highlighting that one crore Indian citizens work in the Gulf region, a widening war lead to job losses for Indian diaspora.
He alleged that Israel aims to create a 'Greater Israel', encompassing much of the Arab region.
"The evil eye of these oppressors extends up to the holy city of Madinah."
Responding to US Treasury Secretary's comments that America is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, Owaisi wondered if India truly is a sovereign country.
"Have you mortagaged India before US. Speak out BJP-RSS people. A (US)minister says you purchase for a month. Is this what we have secured freedom from the English that a white-skinned person says you purchase for a month ? But, they will not speak. They are scared of Trump," he said.
Quoting America's trade minister as saying that the US would not let India emerge like China, the AIMIM leader asked whether "India is a slave of America?"
He further questioned, "What is America's role in the progress of India?"
"BJP and RSS people are terrified of speaking against the white-skinned officials," he alleged.
He also hit out at the Centre for allegedly providing funds to a right-wing organisation to hold an event.
The organisation has openly favoured making India a 'Hindu Rashtra', "converting the religion of Muslims and throwing away 25 crore people," he alleged.
