P. V. Gopalan

Painganadu Venkataraman Gopalan (1911 – February 1998) who served with the Zambian and the Indian governments.

As director of relief measures and refugees in Zambia, he oversaw the exodus of refugees from Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the Rhodesian Bush War. He later served as advisor to the first President of Zambia Kenneth Kaunda and also as Joint Secretary to the Government of India in 1960s.

Gopalan was a member of the Imperial Secretariat Service and later a Central Secretariat Service officer. He was the maternal grandfather of the 49th vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris.

Early life Gopalan was born in 1911 into a conservative Iyengar family, at Painganadu Agraharam, Thulasendrapuram in the Madras Presidency, British India. He served as under secretary to the government of India in the Ministry of Transport (Roads Wing).

With effect from 28 January 1966, he was deputed to the government of Zambia and lived in Lusaka as Director of Relief Measures and Refugees in 1966 during the Zimbabwean War of Independence, He was appointed to the selection grade of the Central Secretariat Service from 1 May 1966, and ended his posting in Zambia with effect from 24 July 1969, reverting to his former role in the Department of Rehabilitation. He retired from government service with effect from 2 October 1969.

Personal life

P. V. Gopalan was married to Gopalan Rajam (née Balachandran Rajam), who was betrothed to him at age twelve and began living with him at sixteen. Rajam never attended high school. at Central Delhi district and also at other areas in New Delhi. Gopalan was the grandfather of lawyer Maya Harris, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and academic Sharada Balachandran Orihuela.

Kamala Harris has said that she was strongly influenced by his progressive political views on democracy and women's rights, especially their right to education. He later bought an apartment in Besant Nagar and lived in Chennai until his death.