Kamala Harris says 'Chithi' in her acceptance speech, netizens can't keep calm
Kamala Harris, who became the first woman of colour and the first Asian-American to officially accept the vice-presidential nomination for the 2020 US elections.,used the Tamil word, 'chithis.' during her speech at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday “Family is my husband Doug, family is our beautiful children, Cole and Ella, who as you just heard, call me Momala. Family is my sister. Family is my best friend, my nieces and my godchildren. Family is my uncles, my aunts and my chithis,” Harris said.
The word which translates to 'aunt' sent Americans Google-ing what it meant, and for Indian-Americans and Tamilians watching from around the world, it came as a pleasant surprise - the first time someone spoke Tamil during a US Democratic speech.
Kamala Harris is half-Tamilian on her mother's side, and has fond memories of India, especially with her grandfather.
Harri's 'Chittis,' her mother's younger sister, and Harris' aunt, Dr Sarala Gopalan, told CNN-News18 that the entire family was ecstatic after they heard about her nomination.
"The entire family is so thrilled and happy after we heard the news. A friend of mine in the United States gave us the message at 4 am in the morning, and we have been up, since then," Gopalan said.
Asked about how she remembered Kamala as a child, Gopalan said that she was a very nice, kind and affectionate person, adding that she was speaking this despite the fact that Harris was her niece.
