Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani made history in 2025 by winning New York City’s mayoral race, becoming the city’s first Indian American mayor and its youngest ever at 34. His rise has been marked by an unapologetic embrace of his roots. From playing the Bollywood hit Dhoom Machale after his victory speech to dancing to Punjabi music at his swearing in, Mamdani has leaned into his Desi identity in ways that have resonated with many New Yorkers.
Now, just weeks into the job, Mamdani is facing his first major test. A powerful winter storm swept across the region over the weekend, dumping more than a foot of snow in parts of the city and surrounding areas and forcing officials to move quickly to keep residents informed and safe.
As the storm hit, a video featuring Mamdani discussing snow day preparations for Brown New Yorkers began circulating widely on Instagram. The clip was created and posted by businesswoman and activist Komal Nambiar and includes practical advisories on how to stay safe and where to find updates, delivered in Hindi.
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In the now viral clip, the message is delivered almost entirely in conversational Hindi, with Mamdani and Nambiar urging residents to stay plugged into official alerts as the storm intensifies. “If you live in New York City and want to stay informed about the weather, fires and more, please take out your phone and text NOTIFYNYC to 692692,” the video explains, mixing Hindi with casual English in a style familiar to many South Asian households.
In Hindi, the clip says: “Agar aap New York City main rehte hain aur aap Mausam se adi jankari se bakhabar rehna chahte hai toh please yaar phone nikalo and text NOTIFYNYC 692692,” he says, urging residents to sign up for official weather alerts as the storm bears down on the city.
As the video winds down, the tone turns light even as the message stays practical. “Ab hum ghar jayenge, bahar bohot sardi hai.”
Mamdani end the clip with a smile, saying, “all that to say we hope you guys samajh our baat.”
The post, shared with the caption “SEND TO UR AUNTIES AND UNCLES KEEP EM SAFEEE,” along with hashtags like #Southasian, #desi, #nyc and #newyork, quickly gained traction.
For many viewers, the clip felt less like a formal city advisory and more like a familiar message from family, reinforcing the administration’s push to communicate public safety information in a way that feels personal and accessible.
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The urgency behind the message was clear. The storm slammed New York City and the surrounding region with heavy snowfall, leaving many neighborhoods buried under eight to fifteen inches of snow.
Central Park recorded more than eleven inches, while parts of Upper Manhattan, including Washington Heights, saw totals nearing fifteen inches from Sunday into Monday. Snow and sleet made travel difficult, slowing traffic and prompting repeated warnings from officials about dangerous road conditions.
City life was widely disrupted. Public school buildings were closed and classes moved online to keep students off icy streets. Sanitation crews worked around the clock across all five boroughs, deploying thousands of vehicles and workers to clear roads and keep essential services running.
It marked one of the most punishing winter storms New York has faced in years, with widespread closures, delays and a real test for city leadership at the very start of Mamdani’s term.