Why India can’t stop talking about Zohran Mamdani — and why it should pause

“Dhoom machale” played as Zohran Mamdani, 34, delivered his victory speech after being elected the first Muslim mayor of New York — the global capital of capitalism. Mamdani quoted from India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s immortal “tryst with destiny” speech, instantly captivating audiences back home.

It almost felt like election day in India, with celebrations and outrage unfolding in equal measure. Social media lit up with images of the photogenic Mamdani family, including his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, who quipped that she was the Mamdani “producer” — quite literally in this case.

The BJP IT cell, which these days is struggling to harness public opinion, pushed out talking points suggesting that only India’s “one percent chattering classes” were celebrating a man who “hated Hinduism” — a claim not based on public facts, especially since Hindus in New York also voted for him. Their argument that Indians didn’t even know the name of their own city mayors was fair on the surface, but disingenuous; unlike in New York, mayors in Indian cities control neither funds nor governance.

More valid, however, was the criticism directed at those who had mocked Indians celebrating Kash Patel’s appointment as FBI Director, calling them “simps”. Many from that same crowd were now sharing photos with Mira Nair and praising her for bringing up “Zohran well”. One YouTuber became instant meme material for repeatedly shrieking “Zohran!” and asking, “Where is India’s Zohran?”

This peculiar Indian habit of seeking foreign icons — be it Mamdani or Barack Obama — and lamenting that “India has none like them” is baffling. Every country has its own history and cultural evolution that produces its leaders. Whining for an “Indian Obama”, who represented a very specific bi-racial American moment, raises the question: which country do these people imagine India to be, and which race did India ever enslave?

The Mamdani comparison is similarly misplaced. He is a charismatic politician who ran a brilliant campaign, but he also comes from wealth and privilege — something his Indian admirers gloss over. His economic ideas, too, have been tried in India with poor outcomes. Consider Mumbai’s rent-controlled, crumbling buildings in a city where space commands a premium, or the slow-moving, corruption-scarred Delhi Development Authority. Or shopping at Kendriya Bhandar, where “nothing but nothing is available” and what is available is often expired or rotten. That’s the model Mamdani wants in New York — alongside higher taxes — and unless executed with exceptional skill, it’s a recipe for disaster. India still carries the receipts, and these are cautionary tales of why governments should stay out of such experiments.

Beyond the search for a “foreign saviour,” the unwarranted pride many Indians take in people of Indian origin succeeding abroad betrays a deep insecurity. Whether it’s Mamdani, Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy, Kash Patel or even Usha Vance, they are all clear — and rightly so — that they are Americans working for American interests. Yet we go gaga over cultural symbolism. It’s telling that we don’t extend this enthusiasm to similar success stories in places like Mauritius.

Even recent columns criticising the Indian diaspora in the US for not speaking out against Donald Trump’s attacks on India — on Russian oil or tariffs — are unfair. The diaspora has made its choice. They cannot be expected to be India’s frontline defenders, especially when racism thrives in MAGA circles. India doesn’t need anyone except its own citizens to defend it.

And yes, those who have opted out of being Indian should also avoid lecturing us — which they frequently do — on how India should be run. Mamdani, in many ways, has become a political Rorschach test: both the Indian right wing and left wing are trying to slot him into India’s political landscape.

Mamdani’s clarity on Gaza is admirable, but the real test begins now, as he runs the world’s financial capital, which also hosts the United Nations headquarters. India’s left wing, which has anointed him their new hero, would do well to wait and watch how an untested mayor handles administration. And the right wing, which detests him, might acknowledge that he is a charismatic communicator who learned campaigning from Modi and Trump.

If our experience with Trump taught us anything, it is this: do not get carried away and imagine any foreign leader is our BFF (best friend forever). Policies are what matter. And perhaps, instead of idolising New York, we should look at how effectively Dubai is run — and take a few lessons from that.