“Focus on India”: Usha Vance’s great-aunt after US election victory

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, November 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP)

NEW DELHI: In a heartfelt reflection, the great aunt of Usha Vancethe wife of the US vice presidential candidate JD VanceShe spoke openly about her roots and her hopes for the nation. Speaking to news agency ANI, Professor C. Santhamma was very proud of Usha's achievements and pointed out that the Vance family has deep roots in Andhra Pradesh.
“Of course I feel happy…She is part of our family and that is the most important thing,” Santhamma said, recalling Usha's origins in West Godavari district, a region rich in cultural heritage. “She was born somewhere in West Godavari district. My relationship is through my husband. My husband has five brothers. The eldest brother has four children. Usha is the daughter of one of his sons,” she said.

Santhamma, an academic herself, also gave Usha two important pieces of advice that she said are crucial for India's future.
“My advice is to focus on India if possible and ensure that Indians do not migrate to various other countries,” Professor Santhamma said. She stressed the need for India to create opportunities that encourage its brightest minds to stay in the country. “You have to protect her. They have to help the country to the extent that their intelligence agencies stay in India,” she said.
Professor Santhamma not only focused on talent retention but also emphasized the importance of reviving ancient cultural knowledge, particularly Sanskrit. “The second thing is that our Sanskrit is being lost. Our Sanskrit should be brought back to India,” she remarked. For Santhamma, preserving and promoting India's rich linguistic and cultural heritage is as important as its economic development. Sanskrit is one of the world's oldest languages ​​and offers important insights into ancient Indian wisdom, philosophy and literature.
Although Usha Vance, who grew up in Ohio, may be far from her ancestral homeland, her family's connection to Andhra Pradesh and her great-aunt's advice are reminders of the deep ties that still bind them Indian diaspora to their roots.
For Usha, whose journey has taken her from rural West Godavari to the heart of American politics, Santhamma's words serve as both a personal reflection and a guiding principle. In a time of global interconnectivity, India's future may depend not only on economic policy, but also on how the country preserves its cultural identity and intellectual capital for future generations.