The Vice President has not visited the southern border; The Five react
G. Balachandran turned 80 this spring a milestone of a birthday in India, where he lives. If not for the coronavirus pandemic, he would have been surrounded by family members who gathered to celebrate with him.
But with the virus ravaging his homeland, Balachandran had to settle for congratulatory phone calls. Including one from his rather famous niece: Vice President Kamala Harris.
The retired academic said he cannot have such an elaborate function during a Zoom interview Thursday from his home in New Delhi. FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2004, file photo, San Francisco s new district attorney, Kamala Harris, right, receives the oath of office from California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald M. George, left, during inauguration ceremonies Thursday, Jan. 8, 2004, in San Francisco, as Harris mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, holds a copy of The Bill of Rights. (AP Photo/George Nikitin, File)
As a child, Harris used to visit India every other year. Now all that remains of her extended family there are her aunt and uncle. Another Indian-born aunt lives in Canada.
Balachandran said that while he used to hear about friends of friends getting the virus, now it’s hitting close to home. Those he knows personally or worked with are getting the virus, and some are dying.
“The conditions are pretty bad in India,” he said.
Balachandran considers himself one of the lucky ones, as he’s retired and largely stays home alone, leaving only occasionally for groceries, so that “nobody can infect me other than myself.”
India’s large diaspora is tapping its wealth, growing political clout and expertise to help India combat a catastrophic coronavirus surge.
On Friday, she’s set to deliver remarks at a State Department event focused on the effort to combat COVID-19 in India, and she’s expected to express U.S. solidarity with the nation.
Speaking in 2018 at a fundraiser for the Indian non-governmental organization Pratham, Harris talked about walking hand in hand with her grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, and listening to him speak with friends about the importance of a free and equal democracy.
“It was those walks on the beach with my grandfather on Besant Nagar that have had a profound impact on who I am today,” she said.
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The coronavirus crisis in India has created diplomatic and humanitarian challenges for the Biden administration
By ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press
May 7, 2021, 7:51 AM
• 7 min read
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2020, file photo, Vice President Kamala Harris maternal uncle, Balachandran Gopalan, talks to media outside his house, in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)
WASHINGTON G. Balachandran turned 80 this spring a milestone of a birthday in India, where he lives. If not for the coronavirus pandemic, he would have been surrounded by family members who gathered to celebrate with him.
AP
WASHINGTON G. Balachandran turned 80 this spring a milestone of a birthday in India, where he lives. If not for the coronavirus pandemic, he would have been surrounded by family members who gathered to celebrate with him.
But with the virus ravaging his homeland, Balachandran had to settle for congratulatory phone calls. Including one from his rather famous niece: Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Unfortunately, because of the COVID, I cannot have such an elaborate function,” the retired academic said in a Zoom interview Thursday from his home in New Delhi.
Harris’ uncle says he spoke with the vice president and her husband, Doug Emhoff, for quite a while. To close out the conversation, Harris assured him she’d take care of his daughter her cousin who lives in Washington.