P. V. Gopalan

In this Indian name, the name Venkataraman is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Gopalan.

P. V. Gopalan
P. V. Gopalan with his granddaughter, Kamala Harris, c. 1960s.
Personal details
Born
Painganadu Venkataraman Gopalan

1911 (1911)
Thulasendrapuram,
Madras Presidency, British India
(now in Tamil Nadu, India)
DiedFebruary 1998 (aged 86–87)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
SpouseRajam Gopalan
Children4, including Shyamala
RelativesKamala Harris (granddaughter)
Maya Harris (granddaughter)
Meena Harris (great-granddaughter)
Known forMaternal grandfather of Kamala Harris

Painganadu Venkataraman "P. V." Gopalan (1911 – February 1998)[1] was an Indian career civil servant[2] who served with the Government of Zambia and the Government of India.

While as Director of Relief Measures and Refugees in Zambia, he oversaw the exodus of refugees from Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the Rhodesian Bush War.[3][4] He later served as Advisor to 1st President of Zambia Kenneth Kaunda[5] and also as Joint Secretary to the Government of India in 1960s.

Gopalan was a member of the Imperial Secretariat Service and later a Central Secretariat Service officer.[6][7][8] He was the maternal grandfather of 49th Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris.[1][9]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LATimes1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The tiny Indian village claiming Kamala Harris as its own". BBC. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  3. ^ "How Kamala Harris's 'Family of Fighters' Influenced Her Campaign Message". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Kamala Harris says inspired by her super hero Indian-American mother". The Economic Times. PTI. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  5. ^ Haidar, Suhasini (12 August 2020). "Kamala takes a strong stand on rights, but not dogmatic: uncle". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gazette 34 1956 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "'Losing out': Indian Americans say Kamala Harris needs to do more to win them over". Washington Examiner. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  8. ^ "The New Face of Politics…An Interview with Kamala Harris". Archived from the original on 11 December 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  9. ^ Ganapathy, Nirmala (16 August 2020). "Kamala Harris' Indian roots remain in focus back home". The Straits Times. Retrieved 18 November 2020.