Kamala Harrisis the first person of Indian descent on a major ticket in a US presidential election.
US Senator Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee, today extended her wishes on India's Independence Day, which was celebrated yesterday, on August 15. Ms Harris, 55, is the first person of Indian descent and the first Black woman on a major ticket in a US presidential election.
"Happy Indian Independence Day! Reflecting on the past 74 years, it's 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," Ms Harris tweeted.
Kamala Harris has often reflected on her proud Indian heritage.
During her maiden address to the Indian-American community, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee mentioned her "long walks" in Madras (now Chennai) with her grandfather who would tell her about the "heroes" responsible for the birth of the world's largest democracy.
"Today on August 15, 2020. I stand before you as the first candidate for vice president of the United States of South Asian descent," Ms Harris said in her address organised by Indians for Biden National Council.
"Growing up, my mother would take my sister Maya and me back to what was then called Madras because she wanted us to understand where she had come from and where we had ancestry. And, of course, she always wanted to instil in us, a love of good Idli," she said, reflecting on her Indian heritage.
Joined by Democratic party presidential nominee Joe Biden, she greeted Indian Americans on the occasion of India's Independence Day.
"To the people of India and to Indian Americans all across the US, I want to wish you a happy Indian Independence Day. On August 15, 1947, men and women all over India rejoiced in the declaration of the independence of the country of India," Ms Harris said during the virtual inaugural meet of the council.
Joe Biden had on Tuesday named 55-year-old Harris as his vice presidential running mate. Her nomination had sparked a frenzy on social media with users trying to track down her connections to Chennai, where her mother was born.
On Twitter and Facebook, a flurry of users posted updates on her grandparents' home in the Besant Nagar neighborhood, from where her mother set off to pursue a doctoral degree in the US.
The 55-year-old California senator is just the third woman to be selected as the vice president on a major party ticket. Then-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in 2008 and New York Representative Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 were the other two.
Born to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, California senator Harris, if elected, would be second in line of succession after Joe Biden.
Ms Harris was born on October 20 in 1964, at Oakland in California. Her mother Shyamala Gopalan migrated to the US from Tamil Nadu in India, while her father, Donald J Harris, moved to the US from Jamaica.
With inputs from agencies