'Best way to end day 2': After grooving to Punjabi beats, NY mayor Zohran Mamdani enjoys Bengali food

After grooving to Punjabi beats at his historic inauguration, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani ended his second day in office on a flavorful note, savoring Bengali cuisine. In a post on X, he wrote: “Best way to end Day 2: chicken roast and aloo bhortha from Boishakhi.”

Day 2 saw Mamdani building on his inaugural momentum, focusing on public engagement and city administration. He signed an executive order establishing the Office of Mass Engagement, aimed at helping New Yorkers participate in government decisions and amplifying voices from communities that have historically been marginalized.

Tascha Van Auken, his former campaign field director, will lead the office, combining several existing city agencies to streamline outreach efforts.

Mamdani also appointed his close adviser Ali Najmi as chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, pledging a more transparent and diverse judicial selection process, according to The New York Times.

Earlier on Day 1, Mamdani began his first full day in office with a subway commute from his Queens apartment, a symbolic gesture to signal accessibility and connect with everyday New Yorkers.

The 34-year-old Democrat stopped to take selfies with surprised commuters and even showed the morning’s New York Daily News to a pair of skeptical French tourists, announcing himself as “the new mayor of New York.”

Videos of the ride quickly went viral, reinforcing his pledge to ensure his government “looks and lives like the people it represents.”

The inauguration itself had set the tone for these early days. Mamdani became the city’s first South Asian and Muslim mayor, taking the oath on a Quran from the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center collection.

The celebration took a lively turn as Babbulicious performed his hit Punjabi track “Gaddi Red Challenger” inside the subway station, turning the ceremony into an impromptu dance party.

Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, were seen grooving along with hundreds of attendees, capturing the joyous energy of the moment. Videos of the dance quickly circulated online, with netizens hailing it as one of the most memorable and “fun, multicultural” moments of the inauguration.