PALAKKAD: Like the kings of old, an Indian American biotech entrepreneur is looking to ride the elephant — the symbol of the American Grand Old Party (GOP) — to lay claim to the seat of the most powerful man in the world. And the 37-year-old, Vivek Ramaswamy, traces his roots to Vadakkencherry, Palakkad.
Vivek’s father, V G Ramaswamy, did his schooling in Vadakkencherry. He went on to complete his pre-degree from Government Victoria College, Palakkad and graduated from REC Calicut — with first rank — before proceeding to the US, where he secured his MS and doctoral degrees.
Ramaswamy also holds a degree in patent law and his wife Geetha is a psychiatrist, says V M Prasad, a relative who accompanied the couple to Sabarimala on February 13 this month and saw them off at Nedumbassery airport the next day. Vivek took the decision to contest the US presidential election after his parents returned to the US, says Prasad.
Ramaswamy and Prasad’s father V S Muthuswamy are first cousins. Ramaswamy worked for General Electric (GE) in the US for 40 years. Vivek is a Harvard graduate and holds a law degree from Yale. When Ramaswamy was working he used to visit Vadakkencherry every year and stay for two weeks. But now that he is retired, the couple were in Kerala for nearly one and a half months. They toured many pilgrimage spots, including Mookambika and Sabarimala, besides visiting temples in Tamil Nadu and Tirupathi.
As a student, Vivek was an excellent orator. He was also active in sports and other public activities. During his father’s visit, he had hinted at Vivek’s interest in politics and the 2024 presidential elections.
The official announcement has come now, said V S Ganesh who resides in the neighbourhood of the Ramaswamys’ ancestral home in Vadakkencherry. He says that Vivek has always favoured meritocracy and his new book, Nation of Victims, advocates the view. “While studying law at Yale, Vivek wanted to better understand the functioning of the Indian judicial system and my father, who was a leading lawyer, took him to the court at the Palakkad district collectorate,” remembers Prasad.
Vivek had visited Kerala with his wife after their marriage. The couple also stayed at Prasad’s house in Kalpathy. Vivek’s grandfather, C R Ganapathy, belonged to Chathapuram, in Kalpathy, and his grandmother, Thankam Ammal, who is 95 years old, lives with the family in the US.