US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster unveils Blue Room at Roosevelt House

US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster on Wednesday unveiled the iconic 'Blue Room' (dining hall) inspired by Indian motifs at the splendid Roosevelt House, the official residence of the US Ambassador to India here.

Funding for this restoration project was provided by the American Chamber of Commerce in India, the US India Business Council and the US India Strategic Partnership forum.

Speaking to ANI, the US Ambassador said, "This has been inspired by the desires of previous ambassadors and myself that the Roosevelt depicts an intersection of American and Indian culture."

After assuming office as US ambassador to India in November 2017, Kenneth Juster did not see the radiant blue Indian style murals in the dining room that had been there during his visit to Roosevelt House when he had been undersecretary of commerce till 2005.

Researching the history of murals, Juster learned that they were the work of Karen Lukas, an American artist who was inspired by the traditional art of Rajasthan. At the invitation of the then ambassador Frank Wisner, Lukas carefully painted these designs over the course of several months in 1995.

Last year, Ambassador Juster got in touch with the artist to see if Lukas could recreate her work. She offered to reproduce the designs based on her records, eventually, Lucas and her team were able to create the new Blue Room at Roosevelt House.