An Indian American Wins The Spelling Bee Yet Again

It was the 21st round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest where students from across the United States contest to be the spelling champion of the country. Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old from Texas, was asked to spell éclaircissement, which means ‘the clearing up of something obscure: enlightenment.’ Without a moment’s hesitation, almost as soon as the question was asked, he gave out the answer letter by letter and then fell down on stage in wild delight. Zaki is an Indian American. The contestant who came second,  Sarvadnya Kadam, was also of Indian origin.

Last year, Zaki came second and the student who won it, Bruhat Soma, was of Indian origin. The winners across the years on the website of the tournament reads like the attendance sheet of an Indian school. Of the last 36 winners, 30 have been Indian.

There are multiple factors for why Indians so overwhelmingly impose themselves on this competition. This was the 100th year that it was being held. The first Indian to win it was only in 1985 when Balu Natarajan correctly spelt ‘milieu’. But even after that winners of Indian origin remained infrequent until the turn of the millennium. It is in the last 25 years or so, that this explosion of Indian-origin champions has happened.

One reason is with the information technology revolution and H1B visas, the number of Indian professionals migrating to the United States shot up. An aspirational demography looked at ways in which they could stand out with their families in a new country. The spelling bee was a route for their children to make a mark. It could be touted in scholarship applications and also increase social standing. Indian families go to great lengths to prepare their children for this competition with specialised coaching. There are also spelling bee contests within the community itself. Winning the national contest is also lucrative. The winner gets US$50000 or around Rs 42 lakhs. Students meanwhile see others among family and friends who prepare and win spelling contests and it becomes an ambition for them too. Every time a Zaki wins and gets renown across the US, other Indian American students feel they too can attain it.

 

Faizan ZakiIndian AmericansScripps National Spelling Bee contest. Texasspelling bee