6 photos that define India-born Nithya Raman, the new LA mayor, life: From Kerala to Harvard to motherhood to social activism to LA mayor

Nithya Raman, a graduate of Harvard and MIT, defeated incumbent Karen Bass during the mid-term elections on November 3, becoming Mayor of Los Angeles. With this extraordinary feat, she has become the first South Asian mayor of America’s second-largest city. Nithya, 45, moved to Louisiana with her family when she was just 6 years old. She became a US citizen by the age of 22. Here’s a look at her life through pictures.

In this picture, Nithya Raman can be seen spending quality time with her family: her husband, television writer and producer Vali Chandrasekaran, and their 2 kids, 10-year-old twins Karna and Kaveri. The family can be seen bonding over reading a book.

In this picture, Nithya Raman is seen celebrating the birthdays of Karna and Kaveri as the family of 4 pose for the lens. ‘Took a short break from campaigning for a very important 11th birthday bowling party. Happy birthday to the loves of my life, Karna and Kaveri! I hope you know that everything we’re fighting for in this campaign has always been about building a city worthy of you,’ she wrote in her caption.

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A post shared by Nithya Raman (@nithyaforthecity)

Nithya Raman, in another Instagram post, revealed that when she and her family moved to the US, she stayed with her grandparents so that her mother had someone to take care of her. This throwback image shows Nithya on the lap of her mother.

Nithya Raman’s mother is seen holding her twins, Karna and Kaveri.

As per The Harvard Crimson, Nithya Raman’s professors and classmates revealed that she was intensely focused on questions about housing, governance, public trust and state bureaucracy. These themes shaped her career in urban planning and politics.

Nithya Raman was born in Thrissur, Kerala. According to reports, her family lived in Thiruvananthapuram but later moved to her mother’s hometown, Thrissur. In this picture, a young Nithya is seen dressed in traditional attire.

Nithya Raman never planned to enter politics, but she was concerned about the plight of homeless people in her Los Angeles neighbourhood. So she gathered volunteers to support homeless people living in tents.