[The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the views of The South Asian Times.]
My strongest optimism in Zohran Mamdani’s leadership comes from his upbringing by parents of Indian origin, especially his mother, Mira Nair.
By Basab Dasgupta
As someone who votes for the Republican Party and supports Donald Trump, my confession may seem surprising, if not shocking: I am more optimistic about the future of this country after the election of Zohran Mamdani as the mayor of New York City (NYC).
Conservatives are reminding the public at every opportunity that Mamdani is not a socialist but a hard-core Muslim communist who would economically destroy the city with his unrealistic policies and complete lack of experience in managing such a big city. Governors of Texas and Florida are taking steps to discourage the mass exodus of people from NYC into their states. Even Democratic leaders like Chuck Schumer did not endorse Mamdani.
I do not know a whole lot about Mamdani’s background or policies, and indeed some aspects of his vision might be unrealistic. Two critical factors led me to my opinion: the country is ready for a change, and Zohran is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair.
On the first issue, the hyperpartisanship in the country has reached a low point. The latest example is the longest shutdown of the government in US history for no good reason. I have heard and understood the talking points of both parties multiple times, but those do not constitute valid reasons to use common people as pawns and severely disrupt their lives to score political points.
We need new ways to look at ourselves, our existence, purpose, and ideology. The last time I felt this way was when I heard Barack Obama speak in 2008; at that time, I was also tired of partisan politics and especially the never-ending wars following 9/11. Obama brought a message of hope, especially to the younger generation.
Unfortunately, there was always something controversial about Obama, starting from his birthplace to his marriage and how he was raised in his childhood. Even today, we know very little about his parents. The status of his presidential library is in limbo. He always appeared to be a “know-it-all" arrogant intellectual who was ready to lecture us. He is a smooth talker, but could have done more, especially for the black population. Even the future of his flagship achievement, the Affordable Care Act, is uncertain.
A still from the film 'The Namesake', directed by Mira Nair, NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's mother. (Screengrab courtesy: YouTube)
Although Mamdani will never be president because he was not born in the US, he has established himself as the leading candidate to lead the future Democratic Party. Unlike Obama, Mamdani has several specific goals for improving the lives of NYC residents, including free bus rides, rent freeze, city-owned grocery stores, building affordable housing, universal childcare, raising the minimum wage, heavy taxes on people earning more than a million dollars per year, etc.
While one might question how he is going to fund such programs, especially if the state government does not approve his “tax the rich” scheme or Trump cuts off federal funds, everyone across the entire political spectrum can see and understand the noble, compassionate intentions behind these policies. I am impressed that 33% of the Jewish people in NYC voted for him despite his strong anti-Israel stand. Money will come from somewhere in a city, home to the largest number of billionaires in the world, when there is a will and strong leadership.
Having lived in this country for more than fifty years, I believe in capitalism, but the divide between the rich and the poor is now reaching an obscene level; for example, the ratio between the salaries of company CEOs and average workers is now in the hundreds. Massive homelessness in large cities is a shame for everyone.
I do blame the Biden-Harris administration for opening our southern border and letting in millions of illegal immigrants, including violent criminals, but what are we going to do about it? It would take decades and billions of dollars if we wanted to catch and deport them all. In the meantime, call it “socialism” or “communism” or just “humanitarianism”, we must not let people go hungry or live on the streets or die in this country. The fact is that our laws regarding immigration and benefits for migrants need major revisions; the lawmakers do not seem to be too interested in doing that for various selfish reasons.
The “Birther” movement accused Obama of being born in Kenya. Ironically, Mamdani was born in neighboring Uganda, and it is well documented. He is not a graduate from an Ivy League school, and that seems to have made him humble.
My strongest optimism in Mamdani’s leadership comes from his upbringing by parents of Indian origin, especially his mother, Mira Nair, the famous Indian American film director. From my own experience as an only son, loved and guided by my mother, I identify with a mother-son bond; deep down inside, I know that Nair has raised a good son who would not let her down. I know that she has taught him good Indian values; he would look after all people in the city, especially the less fortunate, regardless of their religion, color, or ethnicity.
I admire Nair to an extreme. I respect everything about her, from her Harvard education to her strong convictions. In 2013, she declined an invitation to be the “guest of honor” by the Haifa International Film Festival in Israel to protest Israel’s policies towards Palestine. She is confident, independent, and fearless. I appreciate her social awareness despite being raised in an affluent environment.
I love every movie that she has directed, but it is a scene from the movie “The Namesake” that got permanently engraved in my brain. The scene showed an Indian American family with their car parked at a waterfront area. While the wife (played by Tabu) stays behind holding their baby and waits near the car, the father (played by Irrfan Khan) walks along a rocky jetty holding the hand of their little son, with wind-driven waves crashing on the jetty with full force. The wife pleads with the husband not to go too far when the husband waves at her. This very well could have been me and my wife at a similar-looking jetty on Lake Michigan when we were living in Wisconsin.
The father suddenly realizes that he left his camera back at the car and asks his son to remember the scene. “How long do I have to remember?” asks the little kid. The father responds, “...always remember that you and I have made this journey together and we went to a place where there was no place left to go”. I do not know whether this dialogue was in the original book or added in the screenplay, but Nair put it on the screen perfectly. As a first-generation Indian immigrant, tears come to my eyes every time I watch this clip.
My hope is that she is now telling the same thing to her son; they have made this journey together to the biggest city in the world, and there is nowhere else to go. Those crashing waves are a perfect metaphor for the turbulent political climate of NYC. He must move forward and make this place great. Mamdani might have just initiated the proverbial “paradigm shift” in this country.
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(California-based Basab Dasgupta has a doctorate in Physics from the University of Wisconsin and has worked with Sony as Vice President of an operating division)
