And now from the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago and CNN audio,

The Axxwiles.

With your host, David Axelrod. CNN Audio, The Axe Wiles.

With your host, David Axelrod.

Seven years ago, I sat down with Kamala Harris,

then a newly elected US senator from California

to talk about her life, career as a prosecutor, state

attorney general, and her thoughts on the future. Now she's the Democratic

nominee for President of the United States, so I thought I would share that conversation with you again.

Senator Kamala Harris, welcome.

Thank you. It's great to be with you.

Good to be with you. Let's start with the name, Kamala.

Yes. Because it's a good way into this whole discussion about your interesting life.

Yes, oh, good, okay.

So it's my name, and it is actually a, it's an Indian name, which is a relatively common Indian name and people ask me

how to pronounce it and so I've there are many ways if you were asking my grandmother. She'd say Kamla.

I usually help people pronounce it by saying well just think of the hyphen a kama and then add a law at the end and that's it

Kamala and it means actually the lotus flower, which is a very,

it's a symbol that is present in most Asian cultures and it represents, I learned it that you know the this flower

sits on top of the water but its roots are grounded in the mud and and that

that's where you should be with your you know you should be able to do both and have your feet firmly planted even if things look you know lovely on top you still have to keep it grounded and

seems like a good admonition for today I think so yes so your your mom was

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