During her visit to Zambia as part of her three-country tour focused on economic development and security, Vice President Kamala Harris took the time to visit the house of her Indian maternal grandfather, PV Gopalan. Harris fondly recalled her childhood memories of spending time there and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to reconnect with her family roots. PV Gopalan was a former Indian foreign service official, and Harris paid a special visit to the Gopalan family in Lusaka to honor his memory.
Vice President Harris, speaking in Lusaka at a press conference with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, expressed the special significance of her visit to Zambia to her and her family. “As many of you know, I visited Zambia as a young girl when my grandfather worked here,” she stated. Additionally, during her visit, President Kamala Harris revealed plans to enhance trade and investment with Tanzania.
As the Vice President reminisced about her beloved grandfather, PV Gopalan, she shared that he had served as a civil servant in India. However, it proved to be a challenging endeavor for the US Embassy in Lusaka to pinpoint the exact location where PV Gopalan resided. Despite the absence of the original structure, they were able to identify the land where his house once stood, through the use of public records and land surveys that provided plot numbers.
Kamala Harris stated that her grandfather arrived in Lusaka in 1966, shortly after Zambia gained independence, to serve as a director of relief measures and refugees. His role involved advising Zambia’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda, and he was highly knowledgeable about refugee resettlement.
As a child, Harris visited Lusaka and has fond memories of the warmth and excitement she experienced during her time there. She conveyed her family’s greetings and salutations to everyone present.
In January 1966, PV Gopalan was appointed by the Indian government to serve as the Director of Relief Measures and Refugees for the government of Zambia. Subsequently, he was tasked with leading the Office of the Joint Secretary in India’s Ministry of Rehabilitation.
After completing his assignment in Zambia, he returned to India and resumed his duties as the head of the Office of the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Rehabilitation in July 1969.
Kamala Harris tweeted about having had a productive meeting with President Hichilema of Zambia today. The strong partnership between the United States and Zambia is rooted in their shared history.
Prior to this meeting, Harris had begun her trip on Sunday in Ghana and later, on Wednesday, flew to Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. On Thursday, she met with President Samia Suluhu Hassan.