The traditional Indian drawing, Kolam, was included in the virtual kick-off ceremony of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who has roots in Tamil Nadu, where these auspicious designs are made on floors as a sign of welcome.

Pictures of thousands of Kolam tiles were on Saturday woven into a video to welcome Biden and Harris in the spirit of ‘America United: An Inauguration Welcome Event Celebrating America’s Changemakers’ and to showcase the multi-cultural heritage of America.

More than 1,800 people participated in the online event from across the US and many from India, to create thousands of Kolam designs to celebrate the historic event.

“Many believe Kolams symbolise positive energy and new beginnings. People of all ages from various communities collaborated from their homes to create tiles with eco-friendly materials. What started out as a local project spread way beyond our expectations,” said Shanthi Chandrasekar, an award-winning multimedia and multidisciplinary artist from Maryland who took the initiative along with several others.

The initial idea was to have these Kolam tiles from across the country in front of the White House as a symbol of good beginning to the new administration.

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The Washington DC police gave permission to the organisers to have it near the Capitol Hill, however, due to the unprecedented security measures that have been enforced in Washington DC, the permission was cancelled.

“I am so grateful and honoured to be able to share my love for Kolams through the 2021 kolam community project. The real celebrities are the children who have invested so much of themselves into beautifying the dots and the shapes around them that will come together for our collaborative welcome offering for Inauguration Kolam 2021,” Chandrasekar said.

The response has been “way beyond our expectations. We have people send in their tiles from all the way from California, Boston, New Jersey and many places. From daycares to people in their 90s have participated in this. The response has been amazing,” she added.

Biden and Harris will take the oath of office on January 20.