Thulasendrapuram, a small village in Tamil Nadu, India, is preparing to honour Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, as she advances towards potentially becoming the Democratic nominee and President of the US.

In a post on X, US President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race, boosting his vice president, Kamala Harris, as a strong contender for the Democratic ticket.

With endorsements pouring in for the seasoned lawmaker, Thulasendrapuram, her ancestral village on her mother's side, located 12,900 km away from Washington DC, has long been getting ready for this moment, according to Reuters.

Harris' maternal grandfather was born in Thulasendrapuram, a village she visited at the age of five. She would stroll along the beaches of Chennai, just 320 kilometres away, with her grandfather.

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Despite not having visited the village since becoming Vice President, the pride and excitement surrounding her political rise endure.

In 2021, when she assumed the Vice Presidency, the village celebrated with fireworks, posters, calendars featuring her photos, and distributed free chocolates.

According to The New York Times, in 2021, the village held a special ceremony at their temple to pray for Harris, even inscribing her name inside. Many villagers referred to her as the "daughter of the village."

As her political career ascends, villagers anticipate even grander celebrations. K Kaliyaperumal, a village committee member, told Reuters that if she were to win and become president, celebrations would be on a much larger scale, akin to the joyous waves seen across India after winning the cricket World Cup.

The villagers have been closely following her journey through news and TV shows, hopeful for recognition if she wins.

"Residents expected a visit, a statement, or at least a mention about the village, but that didn't happen," said G Manikandan, a shopkeeper in Thulasendrapuram, home to around 2,000 people, as reported by Reuters.

"Many people displayed calendars with her picture outside their homes when she became Vice President. They are not as visible now, but they will likely return."

Despite the village's disappointment over not receiving mention, SV Ramanan, who oversees a temple dedicated to Harris' grandfather's family deity, expressed understanding, noting that her family had left Thulasendrapuram in the 1930s.

He remarked that, as an American, Harris may understandably be unaware of the village's excitement, likening it to cheering for a winning horse in a race where the horse "doesn't understand why you are shouting and clapping."