Thoughts on Kamala's Grandfather

From Wikipedia: 

P. V. Gopalan was an Indian career civil servant who served as Director of Relief Measures and Refugees in the Government of Zambia, especially the exodus of Refugees from Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). While in Zambia, he later served as Advisor to then President of Zambia. He served as Joint Secretary to the Government of India in 1960s.

Gopalan had begun his professional life as a stenographer and as he rose through the ranks of the civil service, he moved the family every few years between Madras (now Chennai), New Delhi, Bombay (now Mumbai), and Calcutta (now Kolkata). He and Rajam were both from Tamil Nadu state, and had married in an arranged marriage; however, according to Shyamala's brother, Balachandran, in raising the children, their parents had been broad-minded, and all of the children were to lead somewhat unconventional lives.

Shyamala studied for a BSc in Home Science at Lady Irwin College in New Delhi, a leading women's college in India. Her father thought the subject—which taught skills considered to be helpful in homemaking—was a mismatch for her abilities; her mother expected the children to seek careers in medicine, engineering, or the law. In 1958, aged 19, Shyamala unexpectedly applied to a master’s program in nutrition and endocrinology at the University of California, Berkeley and was accepted. Her parents used some of their retirement savings to pay for her tuition and board during the first year. She eventually earned a PhD in nutrition and endocrinology at UC Berkeley in 1964.

 

*******************

As we celebrate Kamala Harris’s accomplishments and even her strong and passionate mother, my mind has continually returned to Kamala’s grandfather.

In 1958, when a 19-year-old Shyamala Gopalan asked her father to study abroad, she knew this was not going to be an easy decision. At that time in India, girls have one path – towards marriage. Arranged marriage is a given, and one would get married within their specific community. My mother and her sisters are from the same generation as Shyamala. My grandfather was a lawyer and valued education above all. So his daughters all pursued their college degrees, however, once they got married, they focused on their family.

As the head of the household, he could’ve easily denied her the opportunity to study abroad; he could have encouraged her to study locally or simply arranged a marriage for her and let her husband manage her education plans.

After all, the western culture is daunting and foreign. There's sex, drugs, murder and hamburgers. She would struggle in a foreign country without the community support. There are so many fears about letting your daughters go free to explore their dreams.

Therefore, he had to be quite progressive man for this era. He also must have been close enough to her to trust her judgement. It seems his wife Rajam saw the potential in their children and encouraged them.

In my mind, Mr. and Mrs. Gopalan are such heroes for letting their daughter chase her dreams and find her destiny in the new world. And because they supported their daughter, their granddaughter has achieved the ultimate and unfathomable accomplishment as Vice President of the US.