New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani quietly promoted his upcoming childcare program on Wednesday as he created a rangoli with 2K Kids to celebrate the Hindu festival of Holi.The Indian-origin leader took to Instagram to share a video of the event while wishing New York’s Hindu community a happy Holi.In the clip, he can be seen sitting in a circle with children at a home school in South Richmond Hills — one of the first neighborhoods to get 2,000 free seats this fall. He recalled celebrating the Festival of Colors in his childhood, adding that it was “an embrace of joy in all its colors.”
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“Wishing the Hindu communities in New York City a very colorful Holi,” he wrote in the caption, adding that he looked forward to warm weather and universal childcare soon.
In the video, Mamdani can be seen smiling as a child cries in the background and later creates a design that says “2K” with them.“Sometimes we cry, then we add a little color. A little more. And then comes the joy,” reads the text overlaid in the video as the Hindi song Holi Ayi Re plays 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 famous Ugandan scholar, is Muslim, his mother, a famous Indian film director, is a devout Hindu. Mamdani identifies as a Shiite Muslim and also participates in the month of Ramadan.In a conversation with The Indian Eye, he said that he grew up in a multi-religious family and celebrated many Indian festivals.“I am a Shia Muslim, but I grew up in a multi-religious family. My mother is from a Hindu family, and I grew up celebrating Diwali, Holi and Raksha Bandhan.
Although I classify myself as a Muslim, these Hindu traditions and practices have shaped my worldview.It was also recently announced that some families in New York City will get free child care next year, with applications for the first 2,000 free 2K seats opening in early summer.The 34-year-old said childcare is one of the main reasons families leave the economic hub. The city mayor announced that the plan currently includes school districts 6, 10, 18, 23 and 27, with the addition of 12,000 free child care seats next year.