Born in Kampala, raised in Cape Town in post-apartheid South Africa and politically awakened in New York’s Queens, Zohran Kwame Mamdani’s journey to becoming the Democratic contender for mayor of the US’ largest city reads like a map of the modern diaspora.

Zohran Mamdani’s win over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for the city’s mayoral race has triggered criticism from political rivals in India, with Members of Parliament from both the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) taking exception to the mayoral candidate’s views.

I interviewed Zohran Mamdani’s mom once. She told me that she’d had an offer to direct HARRY POTTER but he told her she should make THE NAMESAKE instead because “anyone can direct HARRY POTTER, but only you can make THE NAMESAKE.