How Usha Chilukuri's Indian heritage shaped JD Vance's life choices

Vice president-elect JD Vance 's heartwarming note for his wife Usha Chilukuri , post Donald Trump's resounding victory in US presidential elections, has once again brought into focus their strong marital bond rooted in mutual respect and admiration. The second lady of the USA has had a strong influence on Vance's life choices. In his recent podcast with Joe Rogan, he praised Usha's cooking skills saying: "My wife is Indian-American, and the vegetarian food she makes is exceptional." He also urged people to skip the nasty lab meat, a remark that went viral and sparked discussions on social media.

It's not just his food habits, Vance's life choices have been greatly influenced by his better half and her Indian heritage.

Indian cuisine
Usha has deeply influenced her husband's food choices as apparent from his elaborate praise for Indian food and culture. Usha introduced a wide range of vegetarian dishes in his household and seeing its benefits, Vance grew fond of Indian cuisine. The couple are often seen preparing and exploring traditional dishes together. This is a way for him to connect with Usha's heritage through food.

"When JD met me, he approached our differences with curiosity and enthusiasm. He wanted to know everything about me, where I came from, what my life had been like. Although he’s a meat and potatoes kind of guy, he adapted to my vegetarian diet and learned to cook food from my mother, Indian food. Before I knew it, he’d become an integral part of my family, a person I could not imagine living without," Usha had said during her RNC speech.

Reconnecting with his spirituality
Usha's religious background deeply impacted her husband's view on spirituality. A practicing Hindu, Usha encouraged her husband to reconnect with Christianity in his adulthood, and he has credited her with the same in his interviews.

Vance, who was an atheist in his early days, felt hesitant about joining the Catholic Church, but "from the beginning, she supported my decision, so I can’t blame the delay on her,” he said.

In an interview with Fox News, Usha said: “I did grow up in a religious household, my parents are Hindu, and I think that was one of the things that made them such good parents, that make them really very good people. I knew that JD was searching for something. This just felt right for him.”

A spirit guide
The bond between J.D. and Usha began when they met at Yale Law School in 2013. Their shared experiences at one of the most challenging academic environments in the country cemented a deep connection

Vance mentioned how lucky he was to meet his wife and how proud he is of her. He has talked about his wife's unconditional support while they were at Yale Law School in his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, and called her his 'spirit guide'.

“She instinctively understood the questions I didn’t even know to ask, and she always encouraged me to seek opportunities that I didn’t know existed,” he wrote.

How Usha helps Vance with anger issues
Vance admitted in his interviews about his deep-rooted anger issues stemming from his problematic childhood influenced by the destructive behavior of people in his family, especially his mother. While these issues initially affected his relationship with Usha, who was his girlfriend then in law school, she eventually helped him deal with it.

“The sad fact is that I couldn’t do it without Usha. Even at my best I’m a delayed explosion — I can be defused, but only with skill and precision,” Vance wrote in Hillbilly Elegy.

JD Vance not only loved and admired Usha Chilukuri's life choices but also adapted his lifestyle, an effort every couple should make.

(Images courtesy: Alex Brandon/AP, Matt Rourke/AP)