Biden-Harris Inauguration 2021: Ceremony schedule, timings, how to watch in India

Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, while Kamala Harris will take oath as the first woman Vice President on Wednesday. Biden, 78, will take the oath on his 127-year-old family Bible, which will be held by his wife, Jill Biden.

Biden, who will be the oldest president in American history, will deliver his first presidential address to the country after taking oath shortly after noon. The historic speech, with the theme of unity and healing, is being prepared by his Indian-American speech writer Vinay Reddy.

Inauguration Day 2021 will take place as the US grapples with a disturbing period after the storming of the Capitol by supporters of outgoing president Donald Trump. Security measures have been taken by the authorities to organise a scaled-down Inauguration Day keeping in mind the violence on January 6 in which five people were killed.

The Inauguration Day 2021 will mark the first-ever curated live stream event for young Americans before and during the Inaugural Ceremonies.

Schedule and timings of the Inauguration Day 2021:

People in India can watch the ceremony on January 20 at 10pm IST (11:30 am ET). It will start with the national anthem. The event will feature a message from First Lady-elect Jill Biden and commentary from historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Erica Armstrong Dunbar.

Before noon, Harris is expected to be sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Immediately afterward, President-elect Biden will be sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts on the West Front of the US Capitol.

What will happen after swearing-in?

Following the swearing-in ceremony, Biden will participate in a socially distanced Pass in Review with members of the military on the Capitol's East Front - a ritual that symbolises the peaceful transfer of power to a new Commander in Chief.

Biden will then receive a traditional presidential escort from 15th Street in Washington to the White House.

Where to watch Inauguration Day 2021:

The 59th Presidential Inauguration will air on all major US networks including CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, PBS and NBC. It can also be live streamed at bideninaugural.org and will be available on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

The livestream can also be watched at platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Bing, NewsNOW from Fox, AT&T U-verse (Channel 212/1212 in SD/HD) and AT&T DIRECTV (Channel 201).