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Dubbing Zohran Mamdani as America’s very own “Sharma ji ka beta”, desi kids are saying their parents are not going to let them live this one down
New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) speaks to supporters during an election night gathering on June 24. (Image: AFP)
Zohran Kwame Mamdani may or may not know this, but he has raised the bar a little too high for all the desi kids, with the possibility that he could become the mayor of New York at the age of 33.
Not that Mamdani is complaining, but it looks like there is quite a bit of bittersweet grumbling going on about on the internet. Dubbing him America’s very own “Sharma ji ka beta” – a Hindi term often used to refer to the neighbour’s “overachiever” ideal son – desi kids are saying their parents are not going to let them live this one down.
The son of Indian‑born filmmaker Mira Nair and Indian‑Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani, he has much to live up to but it looks like he is off to a good start with his victory over former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary race for New York City mayor.
Desi kids would relate that he may also have to face pressure that both his parents are top achievers in their fields. And his father gave him the middle name ‘Kwame’, in honour of Kwame Nkrumah, a political theorist and revolutionary from Ghana.
But it looks like the lawmaker, often described as an “upstart” in front of his rival Cuomo, has managed to cause the ultimate anxiety among South Asian youth – are they living up to their parents’ mammoth expectations? The answer for which is mostly in the negative, if you ask said parents.
As if it were not enough, he is also “settled” seeing as he is married to Brooklyn-based Syrian-born artist Rama Duwaji. The state assemblyman from Queens, who is a democratic socialist, is practically a dream come true for all South Asian parents.
But for now the internet has much to say about the headache he seems to have caused among desi kids, who can only deal with the blow with some good-faith humour.
“If Zohran Mamdani becomes NYC mayor at the age of 33 it will be a death blow to millions of young south Asian men in this country,” read one viral post on X.
If Zohran Mamdani becomes NYC mayor at the age of 33 it will be a death blow to millions of young south Asian men in this country.Every desi parent is gonna be like, “Zohran was Mayor of New York City at 33! You haven’t even bought a house yet! Why can’t you be more like…— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) June 25, 2025
Another post, which succinctly describes the fear of not meeting the high standards set by desi parents, read: “Every desi parent is gonna be like, ‘Zohran was Mayor of New York City at 33! You haven’t even bought a house yet! Why can’t you be more like him?!?’ Ohhhh dark days ahead for south Asian men. Smh.”
It’s not just the viral posts, but the comments under them are equally hilarious. One internet user took one for the team and gave him the most coveted title (one that all desi kids secretly aspire to): “America’s very own Sharma ji ka beta”.
WHO IS ZOHRAN MAMNINI?
Zohran Kwame Mamdani is the son of Indian-origin immigrant parents: his mother is the Padma Bhushan awardee Mira Nair, who has Punjabi roots from Delhi and grew up in Odisha; while his father is the academic Mahmood Mamdani, who is Ugandan and traces his roots to Gujarat.
Mamdani, who took New York City by storm with his campaign and an enthusiastic endorsement from another internet favourite, Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, was declared victorious in the Democratic mayoral primary late on Tuesday (June 24).
“In the words of Nelson Mandela: it always seems impossible until it’s done. My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it. I am honoured to be your Democratic nominee for the Mayor of New York City,” Mamdani said in a post on X.
Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, on October 18, 1991, and raised in New York City. He moved to New York with his parents when he was seven. His mother Mira Nair has won applause for films like ‘Monsoon Wedding’ and ‘Salaam Bombay!’.
As his much wealthier and more powerful rival Cuomo conceded the race, he said: “Tonight was not our night. Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.”
The New York City mayoral election is scheduled for November 4.
(With PTI inputs)
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st…Read More
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st… Read More
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New York, United States of America (USA)
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