US presidential election: ‘Kamala was a curious child’, recalls uncle of the would-be vice-president’s early years
- The woman who may soon be the first Indian-American VP in US history was deeply influenced by visits to her maternal family in Chennai, says her uncle
- Her mother’s toughness, her grandfather’s work ethic and the whole family’s attitude towards discrimination are among the values that shaped her
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Harris has herself recounted how, when running for election as California’s Attorney General she asked her aunt to break 108 coconuts – an auspicious Hindu ritual – at the Varasiddhi Vinayagar Temple.
But it was Harris’s mother who had the strongest influence on her, teaching her the importance of being strong and sticking up for herself, Gopalan said.
“There’s no question that [her mother] Shyamala had a great influence on Kamala. She’s perhaps the most influential individual on Kamala’s character development. Not just in later years but right from childhood and right when she was a teenager,” he said.
“Shyamala always told Kamala ‘don’t let others defend you – do what you want and defend yourself’,” he recalled.
The young Harris also took inspiration from her grandfather PV Gopalan, a high-ranking civil servant. “Kamala was a curious child and she used to talk to my father a lot asking the ‘why and why not’ of things. Maybe because of her American upbringing she asked things that a normal Indian child may not ask.”
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Harris was influenced by the conscientious manner in which her grandfather went about his job and his dedication to public service, Gopalan said, noting that Harris had chosen to shun commercial law after her degree to become a public prosecutor.
“The quality Kamala inherited from the entire family is that you educate yourself not just for the purpose of finding an occupation but for the sake of others. Help others while helping yourself has been the mantra.”
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But above all, the young Harris learned the importance of fighting discrimination, Gopalan said, noting that she had a Jamaican father and a Mexican aunt.
“Don’t make any distinction based on religion, what someone eats, what they worship,” he said. “My family was quite happy with [this principle].”
“These values should not be special or extraordinary but basic and normal human values,” Gopalan added. “But times are extraordinary when these are considered unusual.”
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WHY KAMALA?
Gopalan said what set Kamala apart from other politicians was her ability to win around people of opposite opinions.
He recalled how she handled a criminal case involving the murder of a policeman when she was running for district attorney in the early 1990s.
“Kamala said she would prosecute the accused but would not ask for the death penalty since she is against it. The police forces wanted to press for it, but still Kamala did not budge. She said she would only argue for the conviction of the accused.
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“The next year the same senior police officer who had opposed Kamala in that case endorsed and supported her in the district attorney election. Such incidents show she has the conviction to do what she thinks is right but is not dogmatic.
“She tries to show others why she says what she says and why she is right. That’s something I don’t expect from a normal politician.”
Asked for one more reason Harris would make a good vice-president, her uncle replied: “Women are strongest in my family and men are the weakest. It’s how all of us are brought up.”
