9-year-old Pune girl defeats 25 nations to win ISB Spelling Bee International Champion 2024–2025

And better she did get. Aura not only clinched the international title this year but also upheld her three-year-long reign as ISB National Champion, proving that her love for words is more than just a hobby, it’s a passion fueled by commitment and curiosity.

Preparation for a competition of this magnitude is no child’s play. Aura would spend hours every week going over word lists, root meanings, pronunciations, and origin stories. “She actually enjoys reading a lot,” Anjali says with a smile.

Her secret? Over 4,000 books. That’s not an exaggeration. From Roald Dahl to R.K. Narayan, Aura devours them sometimes seven to eight books in a couple of days, often while eating or standing in queues. Her mother, Shikha Kulin, smiles: “We literally have to snatch the book from her hand at times. She reads while walking, while brushing, you name it.”

This passion for reading is not accidental. The Kulin household has no active television, no screen distractions. Instead, the shelves are filled with literature, from Sudha Murthy to Shakespeare, Premchand to Stephen Hawking and conversations often revolve around stories, etymology, and ideas.

Aura’s school, Hutchings High School, also played a crucial role in supporting her. Teachers encouraged her efforts and helped balance academics with training. Aura’s win is a personal triumph, but it carries collective pride for her family, her school, her city, and even the country. As one of the most consistent participants in the competition’s history, she’s now being looked up to by other children with linguistic dreams.

“I’m happy, but I know there’s more to learn,” Aura said shyly after her win. “It’s not just about spelling the word right, it’s about knowing what it means, where it comes from, and how to use it.”

Her approach echoes the spirit of the ISB Spelling Bee International, which doesn’t just test spelling but also values vocabulary, etymology, and intuition.

When asked what this win means to her, Aura’s mother becomes quiet for a moment. “It’s everything,” she finally says. “You watch your child grow through every attempt, every disappointment, every win and this one feels like the world has finally seen what we already knew. That she’s remarkable.” She also highlights the importance of keeping things balanced. “We don’t push her. We support her. Right now, this is her playground.”

Aura has also won science, computer, and English Olympiads, and even gave a talk on Indian epics at ISKCON, winning praise for her knowledge of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, subjects she has studied deeply despite her age.

Aura’s family is now working on helping Aura publish her own child’s perspective retelling of Indian scriptures, a project that the family is deeply excited about.

Despite her age, Aura is already dreaming big. She wants to explore languages deeper, maybe even learn French and German next. Her parents, Ankur and Shikha, say they’re open to whatever direction she chooses.

“She’s shown us that she has the discipline and the heart,” her mother says. “That’s all that matters, titles come and go, but that hunger to learn? That’s what will stay.”

As Pune celebrates this bright little star, one thing is clear: Aura’s story is about far more than words. It’s about resilience, joy, and the quiet power of a child who believed she could, and so she did.