From Lotus to 'Potus', perhaps?

Being seen as Indian gives rise to cousin, community, and country!

From the mispronunciation of Vivekananda by Trump at the rally and speech on his visit to India, one thing is sure to become necessary for all Americans, is to pronounce Indian names correctly. Saying 'Kamala' is easy and any deviation will stand corrected sooner than later. She is the newly confirmed Democratic Vice President nominee and Joe Biden's ideological partner. In short, the muddy waters the Democrats and Republicans swim in has a lotus in bloom!

'Kamala' in Sanskrit means 'lotus' and while the opposition is all in arms to oppress and suppress, the Indian community and by in large the smaller south Indian community are confirmed to vote her to power. And a powerful speaker she is, given her debates and sessions on the Hill, it is going to be fun to see any Vice-Presidential debate come election time as in the ring, we have Pence vs. Harris. Has anyone heard Pence speak? His short introduction to the President at the Republican rally weeks ago, made even the stoned Presidents on Mt Rushmore, frown! I kid you not!

On the other hand, just dial 202 – 224 -3553, the number to Ms. Harris's Senate office in DC and you hear her charming vibrant voice with three options, the first being "leave an opinion".

There was no time on that first call, instead I scrambled to pull strings and favors and ask my network to get an interview with Kamala Harris for I am dying to ask, "Ms. Harris, will you ever learn to make a 'dosa'?" Earlier this evening, a possibility happened through one source and I may be granted the wish come next week. So, I wait and have time now to share questions and opinions.

The first being, does a person's ethnicity and race become the reason then a cause, for unity sought by a candidate? Another question for and behalf of the layman I ask is, what was Biden thinking the night before he was to confirm her his VP? Two very diverse questions I agree, but opinions about Kamala Harris must be reserved for now, is how I feel, and so I am compelled to voice an opinion on the layman question. In my opinion, the question calls for an insight to the possibility that Biden, the night before, thought that after the first four years he's in power, he would be happy to pass the mantle to Harris on the second term and that, my fellowmen and women, is reason and cause for a world to be united in smiles as far as the horizons, under one leader, not because of race or ethnicity, but the compelling event of being guided by a woman president of the United States alias 'The Lotus Potus'! Surely this would give new meaning to the magical words,' hocus – pocus'. Would you not agree? In the years I have been a volunteer flag runner for Biden and party, my dream was to have Michelle Obama as VP and future 'Potus', up until the night before Biden called Kamala to say, " Are you ready to go to work?"

Kamala says she is ready and while all the blame for the coronavirus spread and deaths is being blown in Trump's face and becoming the number one reason for ridicule and attack, what else besides prosecution of Trump's administration on the virus , will she be challenging? One other is the burning anguish around racial injustice, which has been, in my opinion and observation of Trump dominance, made worse at every turn with an extraordinarily divisive presidency.

So, in choosing a woman of color, whose part ethnicity is Indian ( as in from India) and part Jamaican Black Afro American, but prefers to elude to just being called " An American", can we hope to change the color of racism to one pale beige? Kamala called for a mandate on election day (Nov. 3rd) to prove that the past years do not represent who Americans are and who they aspire to be. This is what she said meaning quiet simply that the Trump led administration is racist. Period. In my opinion, there is some truth in that. Just yesterday, I heard my friend and small business owner speak to a loan officer and ask," do I have to be a Republican to get the loan"? Bite that!

Well, Kamala Harris is about to spend all of her time demonstrating her skills as a prosecutor to build case after case against the Trump/Pence duo misdemeanors and administration failures and soar on her campaign trail wearing the many colors she's been born and married into. If it is a win for the Dems, she is sure to wear a black evening gown with borderline brown and white polka dots and kudos to that! I can't but help remember her words just spoken that she may well use again at victory dinner night, that as somebody who has had her fair share of arguments in court, the case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence, is open and shut! For many this is a hope from her mouth to God's ears.

End of August2020 will bring anticipation and perhaps even anxiety to the next set of hopes and dreams America will offer its people in the form of preparing the stage, to its final performance where the players will have their "exits and entrances'' and all the world will be a stage. In short, it will be 60 days and counting to showtime of a lifetime pandemic drama and through all this, a small community of south Indians and Indians at large around the world, will be seen as Indians as a community and country and as cousins with the Jamaicans and the Afro Americans, coming together to chant and pray and vote and cheer a woman of color as leader and sister of an America at crossroads with itself.

Another question comes to mind, will the Lotus bloom or will the Elephant learn to bray? Dial the number to Kamala's office and leave an opinion.

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About the Author: Seema Azharuddin

Seema Azharuddin with Joe Biden at a Fundraiser

Senior Consultant, Leadership &Communication, Actor, Producer, Activist & Journalist, Writer, Orator –An Empowered Woman in the quest for needed causes and campaigns

Email: seemablanche@gmail.com