Indian connection: Modi, Kamala bond, reminisce

When vice president Kamala Harris’s mother came to the United States in 1958, phones weren’t easily available. And so, she wrote letters back home regularly. “Never, even for a bit, did she break the connection with India. She kept it alive. She used all means to connect her Indian and American life, despite the distance of thousands of miles,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

- Prashant Jha

STATE LUNCHEON - HOSTED BY HARRIS, BLINKEN

With Harris standing next to him, Modi turned to her and said, “And you have given it new heights today. Your achievements are a pride for women in India and globally. You inspire them.”

For her part, Harris, the first Indian-American, the first African-American, and the first woman to become America’s vice president and now the running mate for Joe Biden’s next election run in 2024, said that India was a “very important part of her life”.

Harris recalled that her mother, Shyama Gopalan, took her to, Madras, “as it was called then”, every few years to help them understand where she came from, what produced her, and for her children to be able to spend time with their grandparents and uncles. Harris recalled long walks with her grandfather and his fellow retired civil servant colleagues on the beach, where they discussed issues of the day, where she heard stories about the nation’s founding heroes and freedom struggle, where they spoke about fighting corruption and advancing equality for all “regardless of one’s belief or caste”.