Thou- sands of people are dead, including entire classes of schoolchildren. One family of 13 was reduced to one man in an instant. Keeping in touch What Kentucky and India most closely share is a sentimental attachment to family, Dr. Mohanty says. In Eastern Kentucky, extended families tend to cluster in the same hollers. In Eastern Kentucky, political races are all about ancestry.
Candidates are as likely to tout their parents and grandparents as their stand on the issues.
Indians have a similar interest in family connections, Dr. Mohanty says, partly because parents often arrange marriages for their children. Even after they move away, the youth of both places retain their identification with family. Dr. Mohanty came to the United States in 1964 from the Indian state of Orissa, which was far from the earthquake. He and his brothers own property together in their hometown. All have moved away, but they allow cousins to live in their house for free.