VIJAYAWADA/VISAKHAPATNAM: Celebrations erupted in Vadluru, a village in East Godavari district, on Wednesday soon after Donald Trump clinched victory in the US presidential polls. The reason for the jubilance was Usha Vance, wife of JD Vance the US Vice-President-elect who has her roots in Vadluru. The village is three kilometres from Tanuku and 15 km from Nidavolu town.
Usha’s great grandaunt Dr Chilikuri Santhamma, who lives in Visakhapatnam, told TNIE, “I am happy that my grandniece’s husband has been elected as the US Vice-President. I wish them success.”
Usha Vance is the daughter of Santhamma’s brother-in-law’s son. A well-known and respected professor, the 96-year-old physics professor commutes 60 km daily to teach at the Centurion University in Vizianagaram.
Santhamma said she has never met Usha as she was raised in the US. “If I ever speak to Usha, I would encourage her to visit Visakhapatnam and foster good relations between the United States and India. I would also urge her to promote Sanskrit and its significance, helping to restore its importance in India,” she added.
Usha’s parents had migrated to the US in the early 80s. Her mother Lakshmi, a native of Pamarru in Krishna district, is an expert in molecular biology and biochemistry and currently works as a professor at the University of San Diego. Usha’s father Radhakrishna is well-known as Krish Chilukuri. He is an aerospace engineer. He has worked as an Aerodynamics Specialist at United Technologies Aerospace Systems and as an associate director at Collins Aerospace.
This is a moment of pride for Telugu community around the world: Naidu
V Badrinath, a 67-year-old agriculturist from the village, gleamed, “Though she (Usha) is a US citizen, she has an Andhra connect. We are happy that she will be the Second Lady of the United States of America, the world superpower.” He recalled that as a child, elders had told him about the Chilikuri family. Vetukuri Prasad Raju, another resident of the village, and Upa Sarpanch V Sidharatha Raju, said the village, which is a major Panchayat having 4,000 houses, is truly fortunate to have people serving at top posts.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh took to X to congratulate Donald Trump, JD Vance and Usha Vance.
In another tweet, he said, “I would also like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Mr. @JDVance, on becoming the US Vice President-elect. His victory marks a historic moment, as Mrs. Usha Vance, who has roots in Andhra Pradesh, will become the first woman of Telugu heritage to serve as the Second Lady of the US. This is a moment of pride for the Telugu community around the world. I look forward to the opportunity to invite them to visit AP.”
Terming the win a special moment for AP, Lokesh posted, “My hearty congratulations to President-elect @RealDonaldTrump for a historic triumph as he takes charge as the 47th President of the United States. This is a very special moment for the people of Andhra Pradesh, as @JDVance is elected Vice-President. The Second Lady designate, Usha Vance has roots in AP. We’re proud as people of AP Origin continue to make their mark in various spheres across the world.”