Just as people in Andhra Pradesh were celebrating the Telugu roots of Usha Vance, the wife of US Vice President-designate, Chennai did not want to be left far behind and a connection to the city has been unearthed.
Usha Vance, soon to become the United States’ Second Lady, has deep-rooted connections with Chennai through her family’s history at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras). As the first Indian-origin woman to hold the role of Second Lady, her ties to one of India’s premier institutions underscore her unique heritage and background.
Usha’s father, Professor Radhakrishnan Chilukuri, graduated with a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT-Madras in 1977. Her grandfather, Professor Rama Sastri, played a pivotal role in establishing the institute’s academic legacy. As the first Head of the Physics Department when IIT-Madras was founded in 1959, Sastri served the institution in three terms and was instrumental in developing its early science programs.
In a notable moment of recognition, Professor Sastri received a special award from then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Bhakthavatsalam in 1965 for his initiative in creating a vegetable garden on campus, a project that reflected his commitment to campus life and sustainability.
During IIT-Madras’s initial years, residential quarters were not yet built on the campus, though Professor Sastri resided there for about 15 years following his retirement. Later, the family migrated to the United States, where Usha eventually met and married J.D. Vance, a prominent politician and author, who is now set to take on the role of Vice President.
அமெரிக்க துணை ஜனாதிபதி ஆக பதவியில் இருக்கும் திரு Vance அவர்கள் மனைவி திருமதி Usha Vance அவரோட குடும்பத்திற்கும் அவருடைய தந்தை தாத்தா அவர்களுக்கும் சென்னை ஐஐடிக்கும் இடையான தொடர்பை விளக்குகிறார். ஐஐடி நிர்வாக இயக்குனர். Usha vance தந்தை IIT மாணவர். pic.twitter.com/o9jJrHrFwP
— Abitha Raj (@Abitha96960262) November 7, 2024
As Usha Vance prepares to step into a new chapter as the Second Lady of the United States, her family’s connection to Chennai and IIT-Madras adds a distinctive cultural and academic legacy to her story, bridging ties between two nations.
(With inputs from DTNext)
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