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Thulasendrapuram, a leafy village about 320 km (200 miles) south
of the city of Chennai, is where Harris’s maternal grandfather
was born more than a century ago.
Calendars featuring the faces of Biden and Harris have been
distributed throughout the village by a co-operative.
"A local politician conducted a special prayer and villagers
have been distributing sweets and letting off crackers since the
morning," said village shopkeeper G Manikandan.
The scenes were in contrast to the sombre mood in Washington -
locked down due to security concerns and the threat of the novel
coronavirus - where Biden and Harris are due to be sworn in
later on Wednesday.
Harris, who was born to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father,
both of whom immigrated to the United States to study, visited
Thulasendrapuram when she was five and has recalled walks with
her grandfather on the beach at Chennai.
Separately, artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand
sculpture featuring Biden and Harris.
Harris becomes the first woman, first Black American and first
Asian American to win the second highest U.S. office.
(Additional reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan in Chennai; Writing
by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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