Coronavirus: Indian uncle of US Vice President Harris to visit US after vaccination
January 21, 2021, 11:06 am

Coronavirus: Indian uncle of US Vice President Harris to visit US after vaccination

Kamala Harris is sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor during the 59th Presidential Inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021. (AP)

Kamala Harris’s Indian uncle plans to visit the US to congratulate her once he receives a COVID-19 vaccine, he said on Thursday, after his niece became the first woman, Black American and Asian American to hold the office of vice president.

The political success of Harris, the daughter of an Indian cancer researcher and a Jamaican father, has been widely celebrated in India.

Her maternal uncle, Gopalan Balachandran, is a senior defense scholar who lives in Delhi. He said he was happy to hear Harris mention her mother in her speeches.

US Vice President Kamala Harris during the swearing-in ceremony, Jan. 20, 2021. (Reuters)

“She is a good speaker. She didn’t throw any surprise, she mentioned her mother which she does often. I was happy about that,” Balachandran told Reuters partner ANI.

The 79-year-old, who had wanted to attend Wednesday’s pared-down inauguration in Washington, added that he would like to celebrate with her in person once it was safe to travel.

Harris’s parents met in California, where they had gone to study in the 1960s.

Indian media celebrated her rise to power as another sign of the success of Indians abroad.

“Namaste Madame Vice President” ran a headline in the Deccan Herald. The Times of India said Harris had beaten sexism and racism to make history.

source: Reuters

Image source: AP

Levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”