Mannargudi DMK youth wing leader M Pradeep and AIADMK member V Selvaraj sat at the Kalaignar Padippagam library in a village in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, hoping for the victory of the same candidate: Kamala Harris. When the results came, they melted into the collective gloom of Thulasendrapuram, the ancestral village of the US Democratic presidential candidate in Tiruvarur. Villagers in groups sat glued to television and mobile phone screens from early morning.
When trends showed Kamala trailing, they didn't give up on her. When Donald Trump's victory became certain, the residents of this agrarian patch were crestfallen. J Suthakar, who organised a 'pride parade' in the village, could not accept Kamala's defeat.
"We prayed for Kamala's victory, but she lost. We hope she wins next time," he said, grudgingly 'congratulating' Trump. Four years ago, on Nov 8, 2020, Thulasendrapuram celebrated Kamala's victory as US vice-president.
On Wednesday, they remained loyal to their 'daughter of the soil'. "Whether she wins or not, competing for the US President post is a matter of prestige for all of us," said R Vijayakumar, who oversees the village's overhead water tank. Thulasendrapuram residents were not the only ones who offered prayers for Kamala.
Joy Holtz, a tourist from Chicago and Dujatha, an Indian-origin resident of Seattle, prayed at Kamala's ancestral Sri Dharma Sastha temple in the village. "It's hard for me to accept Kamala Harris's defeat. I feel terrible.
It shows the Amer.