I could not agree more with your insightful and hopeful vision of who he is and what his smile might mean. I see him as full of JOY,that is genuine and that is compelling ESPECIALLY in such a dark political climate. Let us all remember the exuberance, hopefulness and yes, love, embodied within true joy. And May it spread! (And as for your smile, Anand, it suits you, it is real, and don’t worry about it. You do you and you do it with panache. Your interviews, the deep thought you put into questions with your guests is remarkable and yes, a joy! Thank you.)
Love this, Anand! I can even "hear" Mamdami's smile when he is speaking and all I have is the audio. He brings realistic joy to what he says. He laughs at and with himself. For all his terrific policy positions, he comes across as real and approachable. His smile is definitely a part of the authenticity that he oozes. He is gonna be great for New York, and great for the country.
I agree 100% with everything you’ve said with the caveat that his parents are a professor and a director; he’s had the best possible education, and he’s newly in love. Very few immigrants have these kinds of reasons to smile!
He is an immigrant, and his family is privileged. All the more reason to celebrate his authenticity. Not as a contrast to other immigrants who don't share that kind of back story, but also not to dismiss the fact that his smiles are genuine.
We need more smiles!!! Mamdani 😊 let’s gooo!!! Ok when he wins!! This California girl will be looking out for those policies he is promoting, the rent freeze, I’m a leaser, if this works in NY, then maybe others will follow suit, he is bringing ideas to the table that people are scared to do especially when it comes to profits over people, I will be following his progress from the West Coast, thanks for keeping us informed
The eloquence and artistry with which you weave a narrative around a simple observation and make it deep, rich and meaningful is so beautiful…and it’s what I always admire about your writing…and this one did bring a smile to my face…and to your Nani’s face when I read out at breakfast this morning the line where you reference her!
Funny, Anand, because your smile is quite noticeable. In general, I would describe your face (besides the obvious good looks) as "serious" and "intense." So when you do smile, it lightens your appearance considerably...and I wish I had your beautiful teeth!
You have a great smile and laugh especially when something unexpected is said during a discussion. Also very gifted expressions and timing during your hilarious mock infomercials.
This was a great article about Mamdani’s smile. Who else would have thought about writing an article about his genuine smile. Thank you.
OMG! Did I need this article and homage to the amazing candidate for New York Mayor! This is such a stressful and discouraging time in US history-but just thinking about Zohran's smile has givien me quite a lift and I suspect I will be reading it more than once. Thanks so much, Anand Giridharadas! You may worry about your smile, but your post has certainly helped mine!
Love this essay and can't wait to see tomorrow's results! As I was reading this, I thought of another person with a captivating, big smile -- Julia Roberts.
I just saw Mamdani on MSNBC, playing a lightening round of responses to the anchor's questions. He was natural, seemed genuine, smiled warmly, responded quickly with the city's best interests at heart, fearless, and engaging. Even if he can only bring about 10% of his goals, the city will have been better off than with any of the other choices they are facing. But he can bring 100% hope, and that is something we all need right about now. MLK said, "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
I could not agree more with your insightful and hopeful vision of who he is and what his smile might mean. I see him as full of JOY,that is genuine and that is compelling ESPECIALLY in such a dark political climate. Let us all remember the exuberance, hopefulness and yes, love, embodied within true joy. And May it spread! (And as for your smile, Anand, it suits you, it is real, and don’t worry about it. You do you and you do it with panache. Your interviews, the deep thought you put into questions with your guests is remarkable and yes, a joy! Thank you.)
Love this, Anand! I can even "hear" Mamdami's smile when he is speaking and all I have is the audio. He brings realistic joy to what he says. He laughs at and with himself. For all his terrific policy positions, he comes across as real and approachable. His smile is definitely a part of the authenticity that he oozes. He is gonna be great for New York, and great for the country.
I agree 100% with everything you’ve said with the caveat that his parents are a professor and a director; he’s had the best possible education, and he’s newly in love. Very few immigrants have these kinds of reasons to smile!
He is an immigrant, and his family is privileged. All the more reason to celebrate his authenticity. Not as a contrast to other immigrants who don't share that kind of back story, but also not to dismiss the fact that his smiles are genuine.
Everything anand says in his beautiful essay is true.
He's newly in love? And can campaign this intensely? THAT is a master of focus!
We need more smiles!!! Mamdani 😊 let’s gooo!!! Ok when he wins!! This California girl will be looking out for those policies he is promoting, the rent freeze, I’m a leaser, if this works in NY, then maybe others will follow suit, he is bringing ideas to the table that people are scared to do especially when it comes to profits over people, I will be following his progress from the West Coast, thanks for keeping us informed
The eloquence and artistry with which you weave a narrative around a simple observation and make it deep, rich and meaningful is so beautiful…and it’s what I always admire about your writing…and this one did bring a smile to my face…and to your Nani’s face when I read out at breakfast this morning the line where you reference her!
Funny, Anand, because your smile is quite noticeable. In general, I would describe your face (besides the obvious good looks) as "serious" and "intense." So when you do smile, it lightens your appearance considerably...and I wish I had your beautiful teeth!
You have a great smile and laugh especially when something unexpected is said during a discussion. Also very gifted expressions and timing during your hilarious mock infomercials.
This was a great article about Mamdani’s smile. Who else would have thought about writing an article about his genuine smile. Thank you.
OMG! Did I need this article and homage to the amazing candidate for New York Mayor! This is such a stressful and discouraging time in US history-but just thinking about Zohran's smile has givien me quite a lift and I suspect I will be reading it more than once. Thanks so much, Anand Giridharadas! You may worry about your smile, but your post has certainly helped mine!
He's just so likeable.
Just saw a clip of Zohran having a joyful time at events all over New York. It made me smile too! Thanks for such an insightful article.
This smile is the energy of positivity. Just like Barack Obama. It radiates hope. 💙💙💙💙
A.G. - A November Valentine 💘😁
Yep, I agree with your observation. A friend of mine recently asked, "if Bernie would have smiled more, would he have lost less?"
perfect. Thank you.
Love this essay and can't wait to see tomorrow's results! As I was reading this, I thought of another person with a captivating, big smile -- Julia Roberts.
“Smile tho your heart is breaking…. “……. There’s that. Beautiful musings Anand. Thanks. ♥️💔❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹💔🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
I just saw Mamdani on MSNBC, playing a lightening round of responses to the anchor's questions. He was natural, seemed genuine, smiled warmly, responded quickly with the city's best interests at heart, fearless, and engaging. Even if he can only bring about 10% of his goals, the city will have been better off than with any of the other choices they are facing. But he can bring 100% hope, and that is something we all need right about now. MLK said, "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."