NEW DELHI: Gopalan Balachandran’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing since news broke last week that his niece, Kamala Harris, had been nominated by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as his running mate, making history as the first black woman nominee on a major party ticket.
However, the candidate’s 79-year-old maternal uncle said that he wasn’t surprised to learn of of his niece’s achievement.
“My instinct told me that she would make it. Kamala has strong credentials. For us, it’s a matter of pride,” the New Delhi resident told Arab News.
Harris, 55, a US senator from California, was born to an Indian mother and Jamaican father. If elected, she will be second in line to the presidency after Biden.
Her aunt, Dr. Sarala Gopalan, a gynecologist in the south Indian city of Chennai, credits her win to “good values” and a desire to stand for what is right.
“Kamala has been brought up by her mother with good values, and she understands how to fight for her rights and liberties,” Gopalan said.
She last met Harris in the US city of Detroit earlier this year, and says keeping in touch with her extended family is one of Harris’ most endearing qualities.
“Whenever she is in India, she meets the families. Last time, she came in 2009 with her mother’s ashes,” Gopalan said, adding that Harris was always “kind and caring” as a child.
Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, moved to the US from the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu in 1959, while her father, Donald Harris, migrated from Jamaica.
On Saturday, Harris recalled her Indian roots during a joint address with Biden to the Indian community in Washington.
“When my mother, Shyamala, stepped off the plane in California as a 19-year-old, she didn’t have much in the way of belongings. But she carried with her lessons from back home, including ones she learned from her parents, my grandmother and my grandfather. They taught her that when you see injustice in the world, you have an obligation to do something about it,” Harris said.
“That is what inspired my mother to march and shout on the streets of Oakland, at the height of the civil rights movement, a movement where leaders including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, were inspired by the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi,” she said. The timing couldn’t be more telling.
As India grapples with growing divisiveness, there is a sense of hope among some that Harris would be tough on New Delhi’s handling of the Kashmir dispute and issues faced by the country’s Muslim minority.
“Kamala has a strong sense of public service and feels strongly about human rights’ issues. Like many world leaders, she also expressed concern about human rights violations in Kashmir,” Balachandran said.
After the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status last year, the entire region had been placed under strict lockdown, with several rights activists and politicians held in indefinite detention.
“We’ve to remind the Kashmiris that they are not alone in the world. We are keeping a track on the situation. There is a need to intervene if the situation demands,” Harris said in Texas at the time.
Kashmir-based political analyst Gowhar Geelani said that it is unlikely Harris will as “soft” as US President Donald Trump on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Kamala Harris is a no-nonsense person when it comes to human rights, which matter to her more than her ancestry,” Geelani told Arab News.
The Indian government and ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been less than vocal on Harris’ nomination and refused to comment on Friday.
“In general, the Indian government would not like to comment on the electoral process of any other country,” foreign ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.
However, the news did elicit a reaction from Ram Madhav, BJP general secretary, who tweeted: “First Indian and Asian woman to get the nomination as official VP (vice president) candidate.”
Meanwhile, several civil rights activists in India said they were “optimistic” about Harris’ future role.
“The US under Donald Trump has failed to put the kind of pressure it should have on the Modi regime in its dealing with Muslim minorities and curtailing civil rights in the country,” Sarah Mojibi, a New Delhi student, told Arab News.
Mojibi joined protests against the BJP’s Citizenship Amendment Act, which offers nationality to Hindus and Christians living in neighboring Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, but excludes Muslims.
“Harris inspires us both as a leader and individual, and we hope our voice will have some resonance in the international community,” she said.
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