| Translate This News In |
|---|
During her journey to Zambia, US Vice President Kamala Harris made a visit to the Gopalan family home in Lusaka and remembered her maternal grandfather PV Gopalan, an Indian foreign service employee.
“As many of you know, my family and I have unique reasons for visiting Zambia. Vice President Harris and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema held a joint press conference in Lusaka. “As you know, Mr. President, I visited Zambia when I was a young girl and my grandfather worked here.
Her grandfather, according to Vice President Harris, worked as a civil worker in India. And in 1966, not long after Zambia gained its freedom, he arrived in Lusaka to work as the director of aid for refugees. His designation was that. He advised Kenneth Kaunda, the country’s first president. He was also an authority on the relocation of refugees.
I had a good experience while I was here. It is a recollection from when I was a kid because I was a kid. However, I still recall how it felt to be here, including the warmth and enthusiasm that pervaded the atmosphere. In truth, my aunt recently reminded me of the connections she made with the doctors there when she worked at the facility, which at the time was known as Lusaka Central Hospital, according to Vice President Harris.
So, please accept my family’s and our collective welcomes and hellos from all of us, she said.
In January 1966, the Indian government assigned PV Gopalan to serve as the Director of Relief Measures and Refugees for the government of Zambia.
He gave up his position as the director of the joint secretary’s office in the Indian government’s Ministry of Rehabilitation in order to carry out these obligations. In July 1969, following his return from the Zambian government, he retook control of the Office of the Joint Secretary to the government of India in the Ministry of Rehabilitation.
The US consulate in Lusaka and the vice president’s office eventually found the area where they think Gopalan resided. Not the building, which is no longer there, but the land where his home once stood.
Despite the fact that addresses have since changed and the location was eventually determined using plot numbers in public records and land surveys, a White House official claimed that her family lived at 16 Independence Avenue when they were in Lusaka in the 1960s.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the US Embassy in Lusaka conducted investigation to determine the location of this house. This investigation included searching through public records, interacting with Zambian and Indian officials, and speaking with individuals who were involved in the Zambian government at the time.
Members of the Vice President’s family also gave memories of the house, which helped with the search. Only recently, while the Vice President was in Accra, Ghana, did the Embassy discover this site after extensive investigation and search dead ends.
In the end, the 16 Independence Avenue residence listed in a public titles document dated March 9, 1967 was recognised by the Zambian Ministry of titles with the aid of others. The property is now owned by the Zambian collection of businesses Madison collection, which also owns Madison General Insurance and Madison Financial.
