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Harris said she learned a lot about service from her grandfather P.V. Gopalan, a senior diplomat in the Indian government who she visited frequently until he died in 1998.

Harris' inauguration comes as the Indian American community continues to grow and increase representation in leadership roles. The population has jumped from 1.9 million in 2000 to 4.2 million in 2019, according to U.S. Census data. During last year's elections, 10 candidates of Indian descent ran for congressional seats, four of whom went on to be elected.

\"PHOTO:
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: A supporter holds a national flag of India as she attends a watch party of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as they deliver remarks in Miami, Nov. 7, 2020.
>

Ajay Bhutoria, a Biden delegate from California and member of the national finance committee for Biden's campaign, told ABC News that Harris' success will help encourage more South Asians to aim for those leadership positions.

\"It's a matter of great pride, great joy,\" he said. \"Someone of Indian descent, the whole community is uplifted. Now I can look up and say to my kids, 'Hey, if you work hard, and play by the rules, you could be VP one day and maybe president in the future.\"

\"The generation before me and my generation has worked hard to be a part of the political process and I think we've achieved something through this journey,\" he added.

Harris' name, Kamala, means \"lotus flower,\" which is a powerful symbol in Indian culture. She's talked about how a lotus grows underwater, but rises above the surface while its roots are planted firmly in the river bottom.

\"PHOTO:
Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
PHOTO: Vice President Kamala Harris holds the hand of her grand niece as they walk up Pennsylvania Avenue to enter the White House in Washington after Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in at the US Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021.
>

During her 2014 wedding ceremony, she placed a flower garland around Doug Emhoff's neck, a Hindu tradition. In her memoir, \"The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,\" Harris said that one of her favorite Sunday dinners is Indian biryani.

Harris talked more about her love of Indian food with actress Mindy Kaling in a Twitter video in 2019.

Kaling, whose love letter to Indian American culture, the Netflix drama \"Never Have I Ever,\" won fans over last summer, was one of the many Indian Americans who expressed pride on social media during Wednesday's inauguration. The actress shared a photo to Instagram of her daughter, 3-year-old Katherine, watching the television as the vice president was sworn in.

\"I was at work, but apparently she said: 'Is that mommy? It looks like mommy.' Best compliment I ever got! It matters. Happy Inauguration everyone,\" Kaling wrote in the post.

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