P. V. Gopalan facts for kids

Painganadu Venkataraman Gopalan (1911 – February 1998) was an important Indian government worker. He was born in 1911 and passed away in 1998. He worked as a civil servant, which means he helped run the government. One of his big jobs was helping people who had to leave their homes as refugees. He worked in India and also in the country of Zambia in Africa. He is also known as the grandfather of Kamala Harris, who is the Vice President of the United States.

Early Life and Family Roots

P. V. Gopalan was born in 1911 in a small village called Thulasendrapuram in India. His family was part of the Tamil community, a group from southern India.

A Career Helping People

Working for the Government

Gopalan started his career working for the British government in India. He was part of a group called the Imperial Secretariat Service. Later, this group became part of the Central Secretariat Service in independent India.

He worked in different government departments. For example, he was an Under Secretary in the Ministry of Transport. He also worked in Mumbai (then called Bombay) as a senior officer. One of his important tasks was helping people who became refugees from East Pakistan and moved to India.

Helping Refugees in Africa

As he gained more experience, Gopalan became a Joint Secretary to the Government of India. This was a very important role. Later, he was sent to the country of Zambia in Africa. In Zambia, he became the Director of Relief Measures and Refugees. His job was to help manage the large number of people who were seeking safety in Zambia. Many of these people were refugees from Southern Rhodesia (which is now Zimbabwe). He later became an advisor to the president of Zambia.

Family Life and Legacy

P. V. Gopalan was married to Rajam Gopalan. They had four children. Their oldest daughter, Shyamala Gopalan, became a scientist. She earned a PhD and worked in research in the United States and Canada.

Their son, Balachandran, studied economics and computer science. He became a professor in India. One of their other daughters, Sarala, became a doctor in Chennai, India. Their youngest daughter, Mahalakshmi, worked with information for the government in Canada.

P. V. Gopalan was the grandfather of Maya Harris, a lawyer, and Kamala Harris, who is now the Vice President of the United States. He was also the grandfather of Sharada Balachandran Orihuela, an academic. Kamala Harris has shared that her grandfather's ideas about democracy and women's rights, especially their right to education, were very important to her.

Gopalan lived in Chennai, India, until he passed away in 1998.