Amritsar artist paints portraits of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris before inauguration day

On the eve of the historic inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden and the first-ever woman US vice president-elect Kamala Harris, an Amritsar artist painted the portraits of both the leaders on January 19 as a ‘gift’ on their swearing-in ceremony. While talking to news agency ANI, the famous painter from Punjab, Jagjot Singh Rubal said that he wants to give them as a present to Biden and Harris and noted that it is a ‘matter of huge pride’ to see Indian-origin woman acquire the position of vice president in the United States. 

As per reports, the Amritsar artist who had even received a letter of appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his work said that it is a proud moment to see Kamala Harris become one of the most powerful women in one of the world’s greatest economies. Her mother,  Shyamala Gopalan Harris was from Tamil Nadu, India and her father, Donald Harris in Jamaica. Rubal took nearly 20 days to complete both the portraits along with all the intricate details on joint canvas using acrylic colours.

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Joe Biden-Kamala Harris Inauguration Day 2021

Titled as ‘Celebrating America’, the inauguration of 46th US President-elect Joe Biden is scheduled to take place around 10:00-10:30 PM (IST) or 11:30 AM (ET) on January 20 amid concerns of potentially armed protests across the nation. The historic swearing-in ceremony for Biden and first woman US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be one-of-a-kind with a mixture of virtual and in-person attendees owing to the alarming situation of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. 

The ceremony, which will be held outside the US Capitol just weeks after the stunning attack by Trump supporters, is also taking place after a chaotic transition with Trump still left to congratulate his successor.

Biden is expected to swear in by Chief Justice John Roberts at noon ET on the West Front of the US Capitol after Harris is sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Following the riots inside the federal building, the inauguration will be scaled down but the security is ramped up with more than 25,000 National Guards and thousands of local law enforcement officials.

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