Source: Instagram/@babbulicious
Zohran Mamdani’s historic mayoral oath ceremony inside a New York subway station drew widespread attention and sparked social media buzz after videos showing him grooving to a Punjabi track went viral.The ceremony concluded with a performance by Toronto-based Punjabi artist Babbulicious, who sang his popular track “Gaddi Red Challenger.” Mamdani was seen singing and dancing along with his wife, Rama Duwaji, as hundreds of attendees joined the celebration.
Sharing pictures from the event on X, Babbulicious wrote, “NEW YORK VICH MUNDA RENDA!!! Thank you Mr Mayor for having me perform at the inauguration.” Mamdani, a fierce critic of US President Donald Trump, became New York City’s first Muslim mayor and took his oath on the Quran. He has consistently reached out to the South Asian diaspora throughout his campaign.Mamdani often highlights his multicultural roots: his mother, acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, is a Punjabi Hindu from India, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a Ugandan of Indian Muslim descent.His outreach included releasing a Hindi Bollywood-inspired election campaign video and playing “Dhoom Machale” during his victory speech. The latest Punjabi performance at his inauguration ceremony is being viewed by netizens as another effort to connect with diverse communities in the city.
Netizens react
Netizens flooded social media with reactions, with one user commenting, “The collab we were not ready for, cha gya veerey,” while another social media user called it “truly the best part of the inauguration.” A third wrote, “It’s Mr Mayor’s world and we all are living in it,” as others described the moment as a “most random crossover.”