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Journalism of Courage
Indian American Anurag Kashyap, from Poway, California, has won the 78th Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee Competition.
Anurag, 13, bagged the prize by spelling correctly the word ‘appoggiatura’ (which means short note placed before a longer one). Interestingly, he had never used the musical word before he cracked it to land on top of the spelling world in Washington on Thursday.
Another Indian American, Samir Sudhir Patel, 11, from Texas, had to settle for a tie for second place. He was the youngest of all in the final excruciating rounds and lost the championship when he misspelled ‘roscian.’
Anurag, who has competed in spelling bees since he was in the fourth grade, has also participated in state-level math counts, science olympiad competitions and california geographic bee. This was his second attempt at this competition after he tied for 47th place in the 2004 national finals.
A composed Anurag literally cruised through the toughest words. Apart from the word that clinched the title, he correctly spelt cabochon, priscilla, oligopsony, sphygmomanometer, prosciutto, rideau, pompier, terete, tristachyous, schefflera, ornithorhynchous, agio, agnolotti, peccavi, ceraunograph, exsiccosis and hodiernal. ‘‘But it was not so easy’’, he said while receiving his trophy. Lost for words, he could just say, ‘‘it is just amazing’’. His second time here prepared him well for the bee and he had resolved to ‘‘study harder and win it’’.
Anurag will take home $22,000 in cash, a $5,000 college scholarship, books and a $1,000 savings bond.
Indian Americans, Aliya Robin Deri and Rajiv Tarigopula, were in the contest till round 14, when Rajiv, 12 of Missouri, spelled ‘odylic’ incorrectly. Till round 18, Anurag, Aliya and Samir roughed it up together, till Aliya tripped up on the word ‘trouvaille’, meaning windfall and Samir fell to ‘roscian’ meaning skilled in acting.
Samir and Aliya Deri, 13, a Pleasanton, California, student, tied for second place.
