NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani quietly promoted his upcoming child care program on Wednesday as he created rangoli with 2-K kids to celebrate the Hindu festival of Holi.
The Indian-origin leader took to Instagram to share a video of the event while wishing the Hindu community of New York a happy Holi.
In the clip, he could be seen sitting in a circle with children at a home-based school in South Richmond Hills — one of the first neighbourhoods receiving free 2K seats this fall. He reminisced about celebrating the festival of colours during his childhood, adding that it was an “embrace of joy in all its colours.”
“Wishing New York City’s Hindu communities an extra colourful Holi,” he wrote in the caption, adding that he was looking forward to warm weather and universal childcare soon.
In the video, Mamdani could be seen smiling as a child cried in the background and later creating a design that said “2K” with them.
“Sometimes we cry, then we add a little colour. And a little more. And then comes joy,” read the overlay text in the video as the Hindi song Holi Ayi Re played in the background.
Mamdani, who took office in January 2026, became the first Muslim mayor of New York City. Born in Kampala, Uganda, he was raised in New York from the age of seven by his father, Mahmood Mamdani, and mother Mira Nair.
While his father, a renowned Ugandan scholar, is a Muslim, his mother, an acclaimed Indian filmmaker, is a practising Hindu. Mamdani identifies as a Shia Muslim and is also participating in Ramadan.
In a conversation with The Indian Eye, he shared that he grew up in an interfaith family and celebrated numerous Indian festivals.
“I am a Shia Muslim, but I was raised in an interfaith family. My mother’s side of the family is Hindu, and I grew up celebrating Diwali, Holi and Raksha Bandhan. Though I identify as Muslim, these Hindu traditions and practices have shaped my worldview,” he said.
Recently, he also announced that some families in NYC would be getting free child care next year, with applications for the first 2,000 free 2-K seats opening in early summer.
The 34-year-old said that child care is one of the main reasons families are leaving the economic hub. Currently, school districts 6, 10, 18, 23 and 27 are included in the plan, with 12,000 more free child care seats to be added next year, the mayor announced.
