Indian girl wins National Spelling Bee – Again
BGBlog — By browngirlmag on June 10, 2010 at 6:40 amby Sneha Goud – Michigan State Graduate
For the second year in a row, a female of Indian origin has won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington DC. This year’s winner, fourteen year old Annamika Veeramani, correctly spelled the word stromuhr (the name of a blood-measuring medical device) to clinch the title. It marks a pattern – Indian-Americans have won the National Spelling Bee eight of the past twelve years.
So why are Indian children so successful in the high-profile National Spelling Bee?
The most evidence comes from the 2002 documentary “Spellbound,” which followed seven contestants and their journey to the 1999 Spelling Bee finals. Two Indian children were featured in the award-winning film. Nupur Lala, then 14, ended up winning the bee while Neil Kadakia placed in the top ten. Kadakia’s father was featured heavily and explained his theories around Indian children populating the Bee. He instructed his son in performing meditation and daily exercises (a hilarious scene of the boy practicing “Indian style” push-ups is a visual highlight of the film) and Kadakia’s mother said without meditation and Indian culture, American children lacked the discipline to concentrate for long periods of time.
Of course, class distinctions are also highlighted as Kadakia had multiple tutors in classical languages and parents who actively participated in their son’s education.
Lala is now a neuroscientist at MIT. Last year’s winner Kavya Shivashankar, then 13, said she hoped to follow in Lala’s path and study science. Shivashankar’s younger sister, now 8, competed in this year’s Spelling Bee.
Though it is empowering to see so many Indians competing in and winning the prestigious competition, shades of parental pressure (which can reach dangerous levels in Indian culture) are also visible.
In an Associated Press article published June 5, “Spelling bee winner part of Indian-American streak,” Veeramani’s father proudly told a reporter that winning the Bee was a family dream, and that his daughter sometimes studies sixteen hours a day.
But it is empowering to see young girls capture the trophy year after year. In “Spelling bee winner part of Indian-America streak,” Shivashankar’s father said “Kavya’s role model was Nupur Lala,” “And now there are a lot of girls who look up to Kavya.”
In further evidence of the National Spelling Bee becoming more diverse, an early spelling word was “raita.”
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4 Comments
Great topic Sneha, eight of last twelve years Indian kids winning National spelling Bee title need to be addressed by Brown Girl magazine.
However, not all children of Indian origin have parental pressure which is better than peer pressure of what we hear on television.
I completely agree, Jasmine – not all Indian parents put extreme pressure on their kids to succeed academically. And having high expectations for your kids is a good thing. What I am objecting to (based on the edited clips I saw in the documentary Spellbound and interviews with parents of the Bee winners) is parents putting their kids on a rigid schedule to achieve something without taking their kid’s interests into account.
I have family members and friends who have suffered due to anxiety over grades and college admissions, pushing themselves to a physical and mental limit. And the problem is even more pronounced in India, where the limited number of colleges and large population intensifies the competition. And yes, I do think a fourteen year old girl studying 16 hours a day (if that is true and not an exaggeration) is unnecessary.
I agree with Sneha. The idea that a girl of the age 14 studying 16 hours a day is saddening to me. Though good study habits and high work ethic are traits to admire, I don’t understand why a 14 year old can’t be allowed to be just that – fourteen!