Mamdani mirrors New York’s diversity

About two months ago I was in New York. Elections for the City Mayor were yet to happen, and Zohran Momdani was quite talk of the town.

As I got into a yellow cab after spending a day around Manhattan, I asked the South-Asian looking cabbie, as to what he thought of Mamdani? “Oh! he is good”, and added he had already voted for him, opting for early voting! He was from Bangladesh.

Looking back, I realise that defining ethos of New York is its vast diversity of people, architecture and culture, and the cabbie was only one small manifestation of that collective mosaic of humanity. And in that melange of humanity I can now, with hindsight, spot many who must have voted for Mamdani.

My days were spent walking in Manhattan, stopping every few minutes at traffic intersections where people would wait for traffic light signal to blink ‘Walk, reminders of its cheek-by-jowl skyscrapers, yet with wide pedestrian sidewalks that bring together, hordes and hordes of varied skin colours, accents, languages and attires, moving together as a never-ending river of humanity. There are men and women in their luxury brand dark glasses with their pet dogs as well as large number of goggle-eyed tourists, on their first visit to the Big Apple.

There is a large presence of construction workers with their tool kits climbing up scaffoldings in New York. I heard a Punjabi accent and saw a swarthy Sikh worker giving instructions all around.

Amidst the dazzle and razzmatazz of its luxury stores and the dizzying heights of its skyscrapers, vignettes of human warmth touch your heart on the streets of Manhattan.

Affluence walks arm in arm with the not-so-privileged, the sight of street vendors and food trucks will convince you that it’s a level playing ground, when thirst or hunger strike. The food trucks are the most colourful and fanciful that offer affordable food of so many varieties and combinations that you are confused! As I select a drink, I get talking to the middle-aged vendor. He is from Egypt and runs the business for the truck owner. When I tell him that I’m from India and can understand a bit of Urdu, he is very happy. “Insha Allah! we meet again!”

The other engaging presence is of the newspaper kiosks that, of course, sell much more than just newspapers. They have a variety of stuff that a weary tourist or a commuter might need, including umbrellas, chocolates or a bottle of chilled water. These are mostly run by Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakistani immigrants. If you’re confused about directions or which subway train to take, they’re your best bet.

Talking of helpful people, my experience of asking anyone for directions amidst the frenzy of subway stations in peak hours, has been phenomenal. Everyone is quite helpful and will stop despite a mad rush, to help you get a metro card from the confusing vending machine or guide you to the train you need to board.

A great congregation point of New York is the Columbus Circle, named after the monument of Christopher Columbus at the centre. Around the monument are wide steps, a favourite place for tired tourists to sit by the fountains and gaze at humanity and traffic that flows around.

New York's architectural diversity of styles, scale and historic periods is emblematic of its unique skyline. From Art Deco skyscrapers of Chrysler building to Gothic churches to Neo-Classic Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) and many others, all sit together as one exciting ensemble of human aspiration and achievement.

I always love to visit the large steps that lead to the entrance lobby of the grand neo-classical, beaux-arts façade of the Met. The ambience — of people hanging around on the entrance steps, chatting, eating hamburgers bought from the colourful food trucks parked below, is a celebration of art and culture of the world and numerous civilisations housed in the iconic museum.

No wonder in his victory speech, Mamdani said, “New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant.”

The city is a unique, distinct civilization in its own right. The small ‘Mom & Pop’ stores, delis, locksmith shops, shoe-repairers and roadside vendors selling 'fake' designer handbags — all tell the story of one large family brought together by New York.

On a boat cruise along the shoreline of Manhattan, as you sail past the Statue of Liberty — its global icon, that itself a French gift with a design inspired by Greek/Roman mythology — ‘Lady Liberty’ looks like a mother-goddess, giving shelter to the persecuted, the hungry and homeless of the world. The poem by Emma Lazarus, that the founding fathers of America inscribed on the statue “Give me your tired, your poor; Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” says it all.

And Zohran Momdani has re-lit the torch, that the mute statue holds in her right hand!

Rajnish Wattas, Chandigarh