Mannargudi DMK youth wing leader M Pradeep and AIADMK member V Selvaraj sat at the Kalaignar Padippagam library in a village in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, hoping for the victory of the same candidate: Kamala Harris. When the results came, they melted into the collective gloom of Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of the US Democratic presidential candidate in Tiruvarur.
Villagers in groups sat glued to television and mobile phone screens from early morning. When trends showed Kamala trailing, they didn't give up on her. When Donald Trump's victory became certain, the residents of this agrarian patch were crestfallen.
J Suthakar, who organised a 'pride parade' in the village, could not accept Kamala's defeat. "We prayed for Kamala's victory, but she lost. We hope she wins next time," he said, grudgingly 'congratulating' Trump.
Four years ago, on Nov 8, 2020, Thulasendrapuram celebrated Kamala's victory as US vice-president. On Wednesday, they remained loyal to their 'daughter of the soil'. "Whether she wins or not, competing for the US President post is a matter of prestige for all of us," said R Vijayakumar, who oversees the village's overhead water tank. Thulasendrapuram residents were not the only ones who offered prayers for Kamala. Joy Holtz, a tourist from Chicago and Dujatha, an Indian-origin resident of Seattle, prayed at Kamala's ancestral Sri Dharma Sastha temple in the village. "It's hard for me to accept Kamala Harris's defeat. I feel terrible. It shows the American people are still not willing to elect an Indian-American and a woman. I wish Donald Trump well. I hope he promotes unity not diversity," said Joy, who voted for Kamala electronically from India six weeks ago.
Suthakar had planned to prepare and serve villagers idli and sambar to celebrate Kamala's victory. On Tuesday, he organised a special puja at the ancestral temple. The shrine has a plaque that announces a donation of Rs 5,000 made by Kamala Harris and her aunt Dr Sarala Gopalan for the 2014 consecration, and Rs 250 from her maternal grandfather P V Gopalan who used to live in Thulasendrapuram.
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