THANJAVUR: Deepavali, the festival lights, arrived a bit earlier this year for the residents of Thulasendrapuram Painganadu village in Tiruvarur district following Kamala Harris winning the US Vice-Presidential race.
The Sunday morning in the village was rocked by the sound of bursting crackers. "We have no words to describe our feelings", says an excited J Sudhakar, the ''Naattamai" (traditional head) of the village and the President of the Mannargudi Green city rotary club. Sweets were also distributed to the public in the village. Some of the villagers also held placards with the photo of Kamala Harris.
"Our prayers to the village deity Sri Dharma Sastha Ayyanar were answered," says Sudhakar, recalling the special prayers held in the temple which is said to be the 'Kula Devivam' temple of P V Gopalan, the maternal grandfather of Kamala Harris, who was from the village.
On Sunday morning special prayers were held including ablutions to the presiding deity of the temple. Though P V Gopalan left the village in the 1930s along with his family, the villagers owned Kamala Harris who was born in Oakland, California, USA and her mother Shyamala Gopalan was born in Chennai.
"We wish the daughter of our village (Kamala Harris) to visit the village", says Sudhakar. The villagers also drew colorful "Kolams" in front of their houses wishing the US Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris.
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