Usha Chilukuri Vance's grandaunt opens up about her Indian roots, urges her to work for Indian community

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], July 18 : Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of JD Vance, who is the Vice-Presidential candidate for US presidential polls, has deep roots in India.
Professor C Santhamma, who is the grandaunt of Usha, spoke about her Indian connection and said Usha is the daughter of her husband, Subrahmanya Shastri's brother.
She also expressed happiness over the selection of his family's son-in-law as the US vice-presidential candidate.
Usha's father Radhakrishna was the son of Subrahmanya Shastri's brother, Rama Shastri. Shanthamma's husband, Subramanya Shastri, was a retired professor. He passed away a few years ago.
She said that Usha's parents settled in America some time ago and Usha was born and brought up there so she did not know much about her.
Speaking to ANI, Santhamma said, "Usha is related to my husband. My husband has five brothers. The eldest brother has four children. Usha is the daughter of one of his sons. I don't know much about her birth also. She must have been born in America. I don't know exactly but I know that she is the daughter of the son of my husband's brother. I have no contact with her. I have not heard much about her. I have not seen or heard about her."
A litigator at a national firm, Usha Vance is the daughter of Indian immigrants and has an impressive academic background.
She holds a bachelor's degree in History from Yale University and a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge, according to the New York Times.
Opening up further about Usha's Indian roots, Professor Santhamma said she should not forget about India and try to use her office for the benefit of the Indian community.
"I am coming to know something about her now. She is an Indian by birth. She should not forget about India and Indians' feelings. If there are any errors, they can be corrected. If any law points that are to be included, she can use them in her office and see that Indians are benefited," she said.
She said they would try to invite Usha and her family to India for a short visit.
"We people can form a gathering and then we can invite her for a short stay so that people can see her. They should find time, they should come here. We can invite her but it is their wish to come over here," Santhamma said.
Raised in a suburb of San Diego, California, with a strong emphasis on education and hard work, Usha's academic achievements include serving as Managing Editor of the Yale Journal of Law & Technology and Executive Development Editor of The Yale Law Journal, according to a biography from Munger, Tolles & Olson law firm.
Usha Vance has played a subtle yet significant role in her husband's success. She assisted Vance in organizing his thoughts on the social decline in rural white America, which inspired his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which was adapted into a film directed by Ron Howard in 2020.
Meanwhile, as the US presidential elections draw near, former US President Donald Trump made his pick for Vice President, selecting JD Vance as his running mate on Monday. Trump confirmed Vance's candidature through a post on social media.
Sen JD Vance (R-Ohio) officially accepted the nomination as Donald Trump's vice-presidential running mate during his keynote speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday.