Crowd cheers as Obama family becomes the First Family

New Delhi: It was a speech that moved billions, Obama's entire inauguration ceremony was an emotional journey from tears to cheers.

The boisterous crowd, which booed when outgoing US President George W Bush stepped onto stage fell briefly silent the moment Obama took oath.

Then it exploded with loud cheers and yells across the packed National Mall. More than 2 million people crammed onto the National Mall and watched the proceedings in silence.

The bulk of the crowd was jammed into the area between the west front of the Capitol and the Washington Monument, where people stood shoulder-to-shoulder .The crowd was so tightly packed that some people complained they felt claustrophobic.

It all started with the motorcade from Capitol Hill to the White House. Thousands thronged the parade route and cheered as President Obama and his family made their way in their new limousine called 'the beast' because of the state-of-the-art capabilities.

Obama had to miss the tradition of walking down the entire stretch due to security reasons but he still walked a few meters. The President and the First Lady were cheered by the crowds as soon as they got out of the car.