Even before Usha Chilukuri Vance, Indian-origin wife of US Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance rose to prominence, her grand aunt Chilukuri Santhamma was a known name in Andhra Pradesh.
Santhamma, 96, still serves as a professor of physics at a private university in Vizianagaram, reports Times of India. In addition to her academic endeavors, she is a philanthropist who gave Vivekanand Medical Trust her Visakhapatnam house to operate a clinic, which will soon be converted into a hospital.
Santhamma, when informed about Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump naming her grandson-in-law as his running mate, she expressed her joy and happiness for Usha and rooted for Vance’s win.
“Usha is the granddaughter of my spouse Subramanya Sastry’s elder brother, Rama Sastry. She has the keen intelligence and insight that run in our family, which makes me happy. My husband was a university professor, as was his older brother, Usha’s grandfather,” she told the national daily.
Santhamma further informed that her family is deeply concerned about society as a whole as her husband spent two years in jail during the Emergency for being an RSS worker.
Usha’s grandaunt started working as a lecturer at Andhra University in Visakhapatnam in 1956 and retired in 1989. She is still an honorary faculty member, though. She is well-known for her proficiency in atomic and molecular spectroscopy. She explores the depths of the Puranas, Vedas, and Upanishads, going beyond the realm of physics.
Her writing accomplishments include the English translation of the Bhagavad Gita slokas, “Bhagavad Gita – The Divine Directive.” She goes 60 kilometers each way from Vizag to Vizianagaram to teach at Centurion University, despite having had knee surgeries and needing crutches.
Usha Chilukuri and JD Vance have been married since 2014 and have three children. The two met as students at Yale Law School and got married a year after graduation.
Usha Vance is the daughter of Indian immigrants and grew up in California, the New York Times has reported. She holds a undergraduate degree in history from Yale University, according to her LinkedIn profile, as well as a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Cambridge.
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