Kamala Harris’ family in India grapples with coronavirus

Name: Kamala Harris’ uncle in India calls Mike Pence a 'poor fellow' on 'weak ground'
Uploaded: 2021-05-06T23:11:48.000Z
Duration: 1 min 8 s
Description: Kamala Harris’ uncle in India calls Mike Pence a 'poor fellow' on 'weak ground'

The US vice-president, whose mother was born in the Asian nation, is set to deliver remarks on Friday about the effort to combat Covid-19 in India

The US had been seen as slow to come to India’s aid as cases began to spin out of control there

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US Vice-President Kamala Harris speaks at a virtual conference on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Associated Press

Published: 7:11am, 7 May 2021Updated: 7:11am, 7 May 2021

G. Balachandran turned 80 this spring – a milestone of a birthday in India, where he lives. If not for the coronavirus pandemic, he would have been surrounded by family members who gathered to celebrate with him.

But with the virus ravaging his homeland, Balachandran had to settle for congratulatory phone calls. Including one from his rather famous niece: US Vice-President Kamala Harris.

“Unfortunately, because of the Covid[-19], I cannot have such an elaborate function,” the retired academic said in a Zoom interview on Thursday from his home in New Delhi.

Harris’ uncle says he spoke with the vice-president and her husband, Doug Emhoff, for quite a while. To close out the conversation, Harris assured him she’d take care of his daughter – her cousin – who lives in Washington.

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Kamala Harris’ uncle in India calls Mike Pence a 'poor fellow' on 'weak ground'

“Don’t worry, uncle. I’ll take care of your daughter. I talk to her quite a lot,” Balachandran recalls Harris telling him in their March conversation.

It was the last time they had a chance to speak. Since then, the coronavirus has raged out of control in India, overwhelming the nation’s health care system and killing hundreds of thousands of people.