Usha Vance: A Passage from India

AS INDIA WATCHED America with an almost empathetic eye, recog­nising in its electoral clashes the same kind of chaotic, fractious energy that characterises its own democracy, there was also a shared sense of pride in the fact that whatever the outcome, there would be a woman of Indian origin in the thick of it all. In Vadluru, a village in Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district, the celebrations are not only an act of homage to the decisive victory of Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance whose wife’s family had settled here in the distant past, but also a collective reaffirmation that the village itself, in all its anonymity and ordinariness, holds the seed of greatness. They also bely an underlying hope that the success of one of their own in American politics might extend a hand backward across the ocean, raising the village’s profile. Unknown to people here until she emerged in the public eye as a potential Second Lady of the US, Usha Chilukuri Vance, the 38-year-old wife of JD Vance, hails from a family of Telugu Brahmins from Vadluru. When C Ramasastry—a professor of physics at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras and Usha’s grandfather—and his children moved to America in the 1980s, they reportedly donated their property for the building of a Saibaba temple in the village. They have never returned but the village remembers. “I have heard about the Chilukuri family in my childhood. They helped install a shiva lingam in the village temple. We are proud of our association with Usha Vance, even if she has never lived here,” says 61-year-old Pechetti Srihari.

Both Vance, who grew up in Middletown, Ohio, in an impov­erished and dysfunctional family, as well as Usha, who was born to immigrant academics in San Diego, talked of resilience in their campaign speeches—of roots in the Midwest and South India that stretched into new soil and took hold, and the shared belief that America, with its flaws and fissures, remains a land where perseverance can yield success. Usha’s background as a daughter of Indian academics who valued education and hard work ties her story to countless immigrant narratives, yet her alignment with Vance’s politics reveals her pragmatic embrace of a political system that promises law and order, a strong national identity, and paradoxically, scepticism towards immigrant assimilation. A Yale-educated attorney and a mother of three, Usha is proof that the apple does not fall far from the tree, and that the American system works for the ambitious immigrant. “She could have been an asset to India, but now I hope she doesn’t forget her roots,” says Shanthamma Chilukuri, Usha’s 96-year-old great-aunt, a retired professor who lives in Visakhapatnam in coastal Andhra Pradesh. Shanthamma’s late husband was the third of five brothers— Ramasastry was the eldest—and the entire family was academically distinguished. Usha’s father, Radhakrishna ‘Krish’ Chilukuri, is an aerospace engineer and her mother, Lakshmi Chilukuri, is a professor of molecular biology. Their story is interwoven with the quiet thrum of ambition, intellect, and cultural resilience that shapes the landscape of modern immigration in America.

Telugu speakers compose a significant part of the nearly 4.5 million-strong Indian-American community and they have an al­most poetic devotion to education. According to US Census data, more than 75 per cent of Indian immi­grants hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher, surpassing any other eth­nic group in educational attain­ment. Among them, the Telugu community is renowned for pro­ducing an outsize number of engi­neers, doctors, and IT specialists— a testament to a cultural emphasis on education as the truest form of currency. Step into any technology hub, whether it be the gleaming towers of Silicon Valley or the cor­porate campuses in Austin, Texas, and one is likely to find a Telugu voice among the chorus of innova­tors. A National Science Founda­tion report shows that nearly 40 per cent of H-1B visa recipients are of Indian origin, and of those, a substantial proportion hail from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The story of the Telugu migrant is thus en­twined with that of modern American progress.

So, if the populist messaging from Trump, combined with ex- Marine Vance’s Midwestern working-class appeal, managed to mobilise many rural and small-town voters who felt neglected by progressive platforms, Usha’s cultural background and upbringing have influenced the Vance family and added a unique aspect to her husband’s public narrative, appealing to diverse voter groups and broadening his political reach. The couple have three children— Ewan, their eldest born in 2017; Vivek, born in 2020; and Mirabel, born in 2021. At the 2024 Republican National Convention, when Usha introduced her husband, she called attention to his adaptabil­ity, including his embrace of her vegetarianism and Indian heritage, underscoring the importance of shared values within a diverse fam­ily—and by extension, a diverse country. She is a practising Hindu and her marriage to Vance in 2014 included a Hindu ceremony.

Usha Vance hails from a family of Telugu Brahmins. When C Ramasastry, Usha’s grandfather, and his children moved to America in the 1980s, they reportedly donated their property for the building of a Saibaba Temple in the village. They have never returned but the village remembers

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With a Bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University, fol­lowed by a Gates Fellowship at the University of Cambridge, Usha returned to Yale to pursue a law degree. It was at Yale Law School, where she and Vance were students in Professor Amy Chua’s group, that their relationship began. Famously known as the “Tiger Mom,” Chua is said to have influenced both Vance’s and Usha’s views on family, discipline and resilience and even dis­suaded Vance from pursuing a career opportunity that would have put phys­ical distance between him and Usha. In his memoir Hillbilly Elegy—which Chua is believed to have exhorted him to write—Vance says he admires Usha for her intelligence, humour, and honest directness. This admiration, combined with their project collabo­rations—he calls her his “Yale spirit guide”—led to a close friendship that quickly developed into a deeper com­mitment. They married in Kentucky after law school and pursued flourish­ing careers in San Francisco—Usha clerked for US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh and worked as a corporate litigator at Munger, Tolles and Olson— and Vance made big bucks as a Silicon Valley venture capitalist. Then, in 2022, Vance won the Senate election in Ohio and the couple moved base.

Usha’s great-aunt Shanthamma Chilukuri’s late husband was the third of five brothers and the entire family was academically distinguished. Usha’s father is an aerospace engineer and her mother is a professor of molecular biology

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Usha was a Democrat—like her parents—before Vance’s political career took off. Her former classmates have said she was left-leaning and expressed shock at her involvement with the “Make America Great Again” campaign. But as Vance’s political partner, she gave up her career at a liberal law firm to support his Republican trajectory. This willingness to bridge ideological divides is arguably an Indian quality. Vance often credits Usha’s grounding influence, as well as theirsharedcommitmenttofamilyandfaith, askeyfactorsinhislife. He interprets his upbringing into a broader critique of economic policies he argues have failed the American working class and emphasises his transformation from a disadvantaged youth, raised by his resilient grandmother “Mamaw,” to a Marine veteran and Yale-educated lawyer. This trajectory serves as a testament to overcoming adversity, embodying what he calls the “real” American Dream—not mere professional success but also being a devoted husband and father. An invisible thread in the fabric of Vance’s victory, Usha’s role has been sans spectacle even in the way she has dressed for public appearances, eschew­ing designer fashion and glamorous makeup for tailored work­wear and an almost bare face. She will no doubt remain the vice president-elect’s strategic and quiet advocate and his mor­al compass, keeping him close to his values and sharpening his focus.

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