In Mamdani S New York Win India S Nehru Finds An Echo Bbc

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 27, 2025, 4:03 PM

in mamdani s new york win india s nehru finds an echo bbc

"A moment comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new," Zohran Mamdani told a jubilant crowd in New York on Wednesday - quoting India's first prime minister... "When an age ends and the soul of a nation finds utterance. Tonight we step out from the old to the new," Mamdani continued. As Mamdani wrapped up his victory speech, the title track from the 2004 Bollywood hit Dhoom rang out across the hall - followed by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind, now pulsing... Months earlier, Mamdani had turned Bollywood into campaign language, a nod to his South Asian roots - his mother is filmmaker Mira Nair, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan-born scholar of Indian descent. On Instagram, he's recorded several messages in Hindi, often relying on playful imagery and dialogues from popular Bollywood films.

Invoking India's first prime minister on Wednesday was a final flourish. Democrat Zohran Mamdani addressed his supporters after winning New York City mayoral elections on Tuesday (local time). The Indian-origin democratic socialist lawmaker, Mamdani, quoted India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in his victory speech. “Standing before you, I’m reminded of Jawahar Lal Nehru’s words," Mamdani, 34 told the crowd. "A moment comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance. Tonight, New York has done just that.

This new era demands clarity, courage, and vision — not excuses. It will be defined by bold leadership and the most ambitious plan yet to confront our city’s cost-of-living crisis,” he said. The quote is from Jawaharlal Nehru's 1947 'Tryst with Destiny' speech, delivered to the Constituent Assembly on the eve of India's independence on August 15, 1947. “A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance,” Nehru... Zohran Mamdani, after winning the Mayor poll in New York City, delivered his victory speech where he invoked former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech. Mamdani won the polls by a landslide, creating history as the first Muslim mayor of New York City.

Addressing his supporters after the NYC mayor poll results, Mamdani quoted Nehru’s iconic speech from 1947, the day India got independence from the centuries-long British rule. During his victory speech, Mamdani said, “Standing before you, I’m reminded of Jawahar Lal Nehru’s words. A moment comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance. Tonight, New York has done just that.” “This new era demands clarity, courage, and vision — not excuses. It will be defined by bold leadership and the most ambitious plan yet to confront our city’s cost-of-living crisis,” he added.

VIDEO | USA: Addressing his supporters after winning New York city mayoral elections, Indian-origin democratic socialist lawmaker, Zohran Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani), quotes former Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru in his victory speech. Hyderabad: New York’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, celebrated his landmark victory by drawing inspiration from India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. In his victory address, Mamdani invoked Nehru’s iconic “Tryst with Destiny” speech to describe what he called a new dawn in New York politics. “A moment comes rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance,” Mamdani quoted, echoing... Mamdani won the NYC Mayoral election, getting 948,202 votes (50.6 per cent), with 83 per cent of the votes in. Mamdani told supporters that New York had “stepped out from the old into the new,” framing his triumph as the start of a transformative political era.

Referring to his campaign’s success, he said it had “toppled a political dynasty” and opened the door for a new generation of leadership committed to equality and justice. By invoking Nehru’s legacy, Mamdani positioned his victory not merely as a political win but as a historic shift toward inclusivity, progress, and renewal values deeply rooted in Nehru’s vision for a free and... Indian-origin democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who has been elected as the new Mayor of New York City, invoked former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in his victory speech. Addressing a crowd of supporters, Mamdani drew inspiration from Nehru's historic "Tryst with Destiny" speech, delivered on the eve of India's independence in 1947. "Standing before you, I think of the words of Jawaharlal Nehru. A moment comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance.

Tonight, we have stepped out from the old into the new," Mamdani said, echoing Nehru's words. The newly elected mayor said the victory symbolised a new era for New York, promising to lead with boldness. "This will be an age where New Yorkers expect from their leaders a bold vision of what we will achieve, rather than a list of excuses for what we are too timid to attempt,"... Mamdani, who is of Ugandan-Indian heritage, also pledged that his administration would prioritise addressing the city's cost-of-living crisis. "Central to that vision will be the most ambitious agenda to tackle the cost-of-living crisis that this city has seen," he added. Democrat Zohran Mamdani has made history as the first Muslim South Asian immigrant mayor of New York City.

He defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. Born in Uganda, Mamdani is the son of Indian-origin parents, filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani. In his victory speech, Mamdani quoted India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's iconic "Tryst with Destiny" speech from 1947. Mamdani quoted Nehru's words, "A moment comes, but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation long suppressed... Mamdani also addressed the working-class people of New York in his speech. He said, "For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands." He added...

He promised that now that he is elected mayor, New York "will be the light," and he would lead with compassion in a time of division. "Here we believe in standing up for those we love, whether you are an immigrant, a member of the trans community, one of the many Black women that Donald Trump has fired from a... He also promised to stand "steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers" and not "waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism." Furthermore, Muslim New Yorkers will also "know that they belong not just in... "This new age will be defined by a competence and a compassion that have too long been placed at odds with one another," Mamdani said. In his win, Zohran Mamdani invokes India’s first PM Nehru — signalling a shift “from the old to the new” and a new chapter in New York history. During his victory speech, he quoted India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, marking the moment with emotion and symbolism.

“A moment comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new,” Mamdani said to a cheering crowd. Those words were the same ones Nehru spoke on India’s independence night in 1947. Moments after his speech, the hall filled with Dhoom’s title track. Soon after, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ Empire State of Mind echoed through the crowd. The music reflected Mamdani’s roots — Indian and New Yorker at once. Zohran Mamdani, the first Indian-American Muslim to win New York’s mayoral race, celebrated his roots quoting Nehru and ending with “Dhoom Machale.” Promising to make NYC “affordable and accessible,” he called the win a...

Zohran Mamdani has won the New York mayoral elections and will become first Indian-American of Muslim faith to be at the post. As he addressed New Yorkers after his historical win, he did not shy away from his Indian roots. From first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to Bollywood, Mamdani's speech encapsulated what his campaign showed for so long - he is in New York for immigrants and he is not the one to... Amid loud cheers as he finished his speech, Bollywood song ‘Dhoom Macchale’ played in background! Thanking the voters for the mandate, Mamdani said that New York will be the light in political darkness of the country. He directly addressed US President Donald Trump, took a swipe at now defeated Andrew Cuomo and then, came straight to the main point - his vision to make New York city “affordable and accessible.”...

Quoting Nehru, Mamdani said, “Standing before you, I’m reminded of Jawaharlal Nehru’s words. A moment comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance. Tonight, New York has done just that. This new era demands clarity, courage, and vision — not excuses. It will be defined by bold leadership and the most ambitious plan yet to confront our city’s cost-of-living crisis.” Navashree Nandini works as a senior sub-editor and has over five years of experience.

She writes about global conflicts ranging from India and its neighbourhood to West Asia to the...Read More

In Mamdani S New York Win India S Nehru Finds An Echo Bbc

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