"On social media, Indian politicians and commentators also exulted in the selection of Harris."

"The fact that someone of Indian origin could be 'a proverbial heartbeat away from the presidency is thrilling,' wrote Shashi Tharoor, a politician with the opposition Congress Party. Ram Madhav, a senior official in India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, saluted the history-making nature of the pick.... In Tamil Nadu, the south Indian state where Harris’s mother grew up, there was special pride. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, a local politician, praised the 'inclusiveness' of the choice and wished Harris well in the election. Harris — whose first name means 'lotus' — has said that after her parents’ divorce, her mother raised her two daughters with an appreciation of their dual heritage. 'My Indian mother knew she was raising two black daughters,' Harris said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2015. 'But that’s not to the exclusion of who I am in terms of my Indian heritage.'... Harris visited India regularly as a child and understands some Tamil, her relatives said."

From "Kamala Harris pick sparks delight in India and Jamaica" (WaPo).

There's something quite sad about saying "My Indian mother knew she was raising two black daughters." Why wasn't that mother — who did the work of raising the daughters and who contributed equally to their genetic makeup — allowed to feel pride in raising two Indian daughters? I know the stock answer. I just think it perversely gives power to the worst people.

ADDED: When Kamala Harris said "My Indian mother knew she was raising two black daughters," her mother had already died and was therefore in no position to speak for herself about how she conceived of her role as a mother. The mother,  Shyamala Gopalan "was an India born Tamil American cancer researcher and civil rights activist": "She insisted on giving her daughters names derived from Indian culture to help preserve their cultural identity."