Washington: A record number of 286 spellers, including 29 of Indian origin, are vying for more than $40,000 in prizes at the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, which gets under way on Wednesday.
Among the Indian American contestants in the 80th edition of the event is Kunal Sah, 13, an eighth grader from Utah, who hopes to draw attention to his plight if he wins.
His parents were deported to Bihar last year after his father was denied political asylum. Among the finalists twice before, an angry Sah is determined to win this time because he believes that might bring his family back. But his father's case appears a difficult one, the New York Times reported.
The elder Sah came to the US in 1990, and when his visa expired, he had applied for political asylum on the ground that he would be persecuted because as a member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, his life was threatened by Muslims as he had participated in anti-Muslim riots and the destruction of the Babri Masjid.
In this year's competition, there are 147 girls (51.4 per cent) and 139 boys (48.6 per cent), a typical spread found in previous years, say organisers. There are 11 10-year olds, 28 11-years olds, 66 12-year olds, 105 13-year olds, 75 14-year olds and just 1 15-year old. A large majority of them come from public schools (67.13 per cent).
Among the Indian Americans, Kavya Shivashankar, 11, is considered a favourite this year because she beat out 265 mostly older spellers on her first try and placed 10th in the 2006 national spelling bee. "I just really like spelling."
Kavya spends an average of about 90 minutes a day after school studying spelling lists and being quizzed by her dad. On weekends, she prepares four to five hours a day.
For inspiration, she hangs pictures on her bedroom walls of Kerry Close and other spelling bee champs raising their trophies triumphantly in the air.
"I used to do ice skating, but I don't find a lot of time for that anymore," she said. "But I still practice my violin and take Indian dance class and ride my bike."
"I know I'm going to try my best," Kavya said. "And I know I'm going to have fun. The rest comes down to luck."
Samir Patel, 13, who is competing for his fifth and final year, said spellers aren't really any different from dedicated competitors in sports, music or any other field. "Other people may spend most of their spare time swimming or playing piano," he said. "We just spend most of our spare time spelling."
They are driven by a love for words, a desire to challenge themselves and the hope of winning. "I'm not doing it for the prize alone, but if it wasn't for the prize, I probably wouldn't be doing it," Samir said.
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