If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, he would have been surrounded by family members who gathered to celebrate with him. But with the coronavirus ravaging his homeland, Balachandran had to settle for congratulatory phone calls, including one from his rather famous niece: Vice President Kamala Harris. To close out the conversation, Harris assured him she’d take care of his daughter — her cousin — who lives in Washington. On April 25, a number of top U.S. officials publicly offered further support and supplies to India — including President Biden, who called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ramanan, a temple administrator of the Shri Dharma Sastha Temple in Harris’ Indian grandfather’s hometown, Thulasendrapuram, in southern Tamil Nadu state, 215 miles from coastal Chennai.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 07, 2021 09:13 UTC