Indian-Americans are rallying behind Kamala Devi Harris presidential campaign and they’ve developed a meme that seems to be blossoming.
It turns out that in Sanskrit, the name “Kamala” means “lotus.” So Indian-Americans have created this meme: “LOTUS for POTUS.”
Harris has her mother to thank for the quote “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree,” which has already become a campaign meme. Her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer researcher, would then add, ““You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”
And in a 2022 Mother’s Day tribute on Facebook, Harris wrote:
My mother was the first person to tell me that my thoughts and experiences mattered. My mother would often say to me: “Kamala, You may be the first to do many things. Make sure you are not the last.”
Harris has always acknowledged where she came from as the daughter of immigrants, Her father, Donald Harris, a Jamaican-American economist, and mother met as graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley.
In her memoir, “The Truths We Hold,” Harris wrote about being raised to appreciate her parents’ heritage.
“My mother, grandparents, aunts and uncle instilled us with pride in our South Asian roots. Our classical Indian names harked back to our heritage, and we were raised with a strong awareness of and appreciation for Indian culture.”
Kamala is also another name for a Hindu goddess, better known as Lakshmi, She is the goddess of prosperity, good luck and beauty, who is often depicted holding lotus flowers, The List reported.
The Hindu goddess Lakshmi holding lotus flowers in her hands
Her middle name “Devi” is the name of the Hindu mother goddess, a nurturing force with a fierce side.
How appropriate for the upcoming campaign against Donald Trump.
The List wrote that Harris’ mother chose the names of goddesses for Harris and her younger sister, Maya, for “a very specific reason.”
"A culture that worships goddesses produces strong women," Harris’ mother told the Los Angeles Times.
And so Harris’ classical Indian name has inspired a new lotus-themed meme that was introduced by Indian-Americans but is growing fast.
And here are some of the posts:
Some
