Barack Hussein Obama's name has been a lucky charm for Krupali Kaneyalal Tejura. Four years ago the Newport Beach, California-based radiation oncologist was on the Oprah Winfrey show singing a jingle about the then junior US Senator from Illinois. Oprah was quite impressed and amused by Krupali's commitment, although she asked her to work on her lyrics.
Four years later, Krupali -- now an even bigger fan of Obama -- won a lottery from the office of her Senator Diane Feinstein. She got two tickets to the Obama inauguration in Washington, DC. Her luck continued when her Obama inauguration story was picked and featured on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition. Finally she was invited by CNN's Don Lemon to ride an train from Philadelphia to Washington, DC -- the same route that Obama and Vice-President-elect Joe Biden were going to take with their families and supporters. This past Saturday night Krupali, 33 was also a special guest on Lemon's show. She is accompanied on this trip by her mother Hansa Tejura.
For the past few weeks and especially in the recent days Krupali has been maintaining what seems like a regular blog - updating her status on Facebook and keeping all her friends informed about her experiences.
Krupali is a daughter of Indian immigrants who came to the US via Uganda. Her parents left Kampala in 1973 after Idi Amin's expulsion of Asians from Uganda. Her pharmacist mother and pediatrician father settled in the US, where Krupali and her brother were born. She now works at a private practice in Corona, California, the same town where her parents live. She spoke to Aseem Chhabra over the phone from Washington, DC.
Image: Krupali with CNN's Dom Lemon
Also see: 'Obama inauguration an emotional experience'
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