The love story of Vice President JD Vance and Usha Bala Chilukuri will go on for generations to come, and it began with a great deal of heart, curiosity, and culture.
India’s kind welcome home
During their recent four-day trip to India, JD Vance and his wife Usha Bala Chilukuri were warmly received, but Usha was the star of the show.
Usha was treated like a star while travelling through Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra as the daughter of Indian immigrants.
Even Vance made a joke:
As it happens, she is somewhat famous in India. More so, in my opinion, than her husband.
In addition to sightseeing, the couple spent time with Usha’s family visiting famous sites including the Akshardham Temple, the Amer Fort, and the magnificent Taj Mahal.
From soulmates to Yale classmates
At Yale Law School, where two radically different worlds collided and immediately clicked, their love story began.
Usha, who grew up in a very traditional Indian-American family, assisted Vance, who was the son of a poor Appalachian family, in navigating the prestigious world of Ivy League college life.
In Hillbilly Elegy, his best-selling memoir, Vance referred to Usha as his “spirit guide,” describing her as:
“A combination of all the good traits a human being ought to possess—a genetic anomaly.”
As time went on, their friendship only grew stronger.
Their beliefs and customs were combined into a one existence when they were married in an interfaith ceremony in Kentucky in 2014.
Making Indian dishes and cooking love
Among the most endearing aspects of their partnership?
Not only did Vance accept Usha’s culture, he fully immersed himself in it, even learning how to prepare Indian food from her mother.
“He’s a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, but he learnt to cook Indian food and adjusted to my vegetarian diet,” Usha said in a moving speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
By incorporating flavours from Usha’s family food into their shared existence, Vance transformed into an experimental home cook, cooking anything from lamb meals to chana masala.
In a candid podcast interview with Joe Rogan, Vance gushed about Indian food, describing rice, paneer, and chickpeas as “delicious” and making fun of lab-grown meats as “highly processed garbage” in comparison to authentic home-cooked meals.
A bond based on respect and interest
Vance married Usha because he wanted to embrace everything she stood for, not just because he loved her.
He acknowledges that her influence deepened his appreciation for tradition and hard work, as well as his faith and family.
Their chemistry is evident in everything from campaign speeches to foreign trips, demonstrating a bond based on sincerity, respect, and an open mind to one another’s cultures.
Usha said it best:
“He had quickly become a vital member of my family, someone I could not imagine my life without.”
