MADHU GOPINATH RAO writes from New York City: Anurag Kashyap, Sai R. Gunturi, Pratyush Buddiga, George Abraham Thampy, Nupur Lala.
Do these names ring a bell?
They are not up-and-coming scientists; well, not yet. These are the names of Indian-American kids who snared seven of the seven ‘Scripps National Spelling Bee’ contests between 1999 and 2005. In 2005, the top four finishers in the Spelling Bee were kids of Indian descent, including Anurag Kashyap, the winner.
To a query, “Cochabamba is the third-largest conurbation in what country?” by Alex Trebek of Jeopardy fame, your answer may have been “Huh?” but 11-year-old Akshay Rajagopal answered “Bolivia” to clinch the 20th annual ‘National Geographic Bee’ on Wednesday last.
The Geographic Bee is on the same lines as the Spelling Bee, but covers geography to the latter’s English spellings. Akshay not only won but he did so without dropping a single question—only the second time that’s ever happened in the Geographic Bee’s 20-year history. Nikhil Desai, Milan Sandhu were in the final 8 as well.
“Conurbation”, by the way means “a metropolitan area”.
In recent years, descendants of Indian immigrants—less than 1 per cent of the US population—have dominated some of these academic contests, snatching top honours.
In Spelling Bee, for instance, they made up more than 30 of the 273 contestants in 2005, not to mention hogging the top-four spots. Seems like Kenyans running away with marathon medals? This is not short of amazing. Amazing, especially given the history—spelling bees games were toyed with to help improve English in Indian-American kids.
The epiphany that is believed to be a corner stone of this success was a realization that Indian-American were not good at—hold your breath—spelling.
In 1993, a group of influential Indian-Americans noticed that children of immigrants from India were doing very well in the math section of the SAT, but finishing only average in the verbal category. They wanted to fix that, and came up with this idea: Hold spelling bees.
The idea caught on and how ; the results are there for every one to see.
In 2005, everyone from Wall Street Journal to New York Times to rediff.com lavished praise on this mini-phenomenon. 2006 – 2007 have been a relatively calm time for the desi speller, but with Anurag’s win a week ago in the Geographic Bee, the spot light is back on.
What’s the secret to this amazing success story?
It ought to be more than just the diligence post the epiphany?
Education is a big part of the Indian culture. It comes first. Many a movies have parodied how Indian-American parents push, rather aggressively, to ensure their kids strive to become doctors and lawyers than pursue other avenues. A vast majority of them, do end up becoming lawyers and doctors and this is reflected in how Indian-Americans as an ethnic group are positioned. Per TIME’s 2007 almanac, they are the richest ethnic group with above average median incomes in city after city.
Secondly, many of the Indians who come to America have had the luxury of a good education and a sound grounding in academics. They’re smart, focused and driven; and that rubs off on their children. Thanks to US Immigration laws, doctors, engineers and researchers have formed the vast majority of the immigrants over the last few decades. So these children are the kids of parents who themselves competed––probably at a ferocious level––to get into the best Indian schools, and then to get to the US.
Another factor could be the way India children have been schooled over the generations. According to an article in Language in India, a monthly online journal, memorization and recitation are big components in the education process. We all remember the multiplication tables from well before we could comprehend its actual meaning and use. This is touted to have its roots in the age old gurukula system where a lot of the learning was vocal and by repetition of shlokas and mantras.
Whatever the reasons, the achievements of these Indian-American kids is nothing short of spectacular.
So how does one sum up the possible reasons for this success?
How about one from the horse’s mouth?
The 1985 winner Balu Natarajan, now a 33-year-old doctor of sports medicine, describes the contest as a “a bridge between that which is Indian and that which is American” — that’s quite simple and easy for all to understand?
Photograph: courtesy Huffington Post
No comments all day!!!
Fair enough…It is one of the least interesting topics of the season. And what is the relevance?… The article is not worthy of too many comments.
Shravan,
You are entitled to your opinion. :-)
Relevance to what ? Say, the Karnataka elections ? None whatsoever. But if it is about relevance vis-a-vis India and the global india, you missed it by a mile and not worth the argument ..
Anyone smell Hindutva agenda here.
@Ishveshwariah
I am not ‘smelling’ any Hindutva agenda in this article. But I am surely ‘smelling’ what they say ‘psuedo secular’ / ‘communist’ agenda in your comment.
Pointless article
I wonder if these kids were forced to learn by their parents,so tell me why is that all these child geniuses and child prodigy’s are no where to be seen in the future or are just failures.Forcing kids just doesn’t work long term.
Sunny Leone is a desi porn star making it big in US of A. I wonder why USA/NRI fans don’t highlight achievements of desis in the porn business.
@Karihaida,
Kids, 11-14 year olds have shown the discipline, dedication and commitment to do good at national level which is raved by quite a few major international publications vs. you, who brings in a porn star. Classy !
Since you seem to know him real well, maybe you ought to do it yourself ? Highlighting the achievements of your friend ie.
I hope MGR doesnt shoot me down but why is the wee bairn’s name spelt wrong in the title- ASkhay is how it is now- they will change it and say it was never wrong_? Plz MGR spare me your wrath!
@ Madhu Rao,
aNNa , “discipline, dedication and commitment” is even more important in the smut business, so its not a mean feat. Adakke naanu kelodu E discrimination yAAke anta ?
PS: Sunny Leone hengsu swami :)
I highly recommend the documentary ‘Spellbound’. I urge you to watch the obsessive desi dad who goads his son through the bee finals. Quite distressing.
It is a triumph of Gurukula system genetically transmitted.
Hysterical indian parenthood..that boy should be playing outside instead of “memorization and recitation”.
Well sometimes I dont seem to understand sometimes the point behind quiz competition. I used to attend a lot in my childhood days spending time to read ‘year books’ and stuff and trying to memorise the currencies of countries and all that junk . There is absolutely no need for it as u cqn always look up the internet. I think we need to have more competiotions testing one’s imagination and creativity rather than one’s memory.
The point behind the rote learning system in the past may have to do with the absence of script for sanskrit.
Interesting to see the knee-jerk reaction of those that are chronically opposed to NRI stories. Why? Don’t they exist?
Agree with Gokulam…. is it sour grapes? The basic story is about Indian kids who are excelling in competitions. Cant we appreciate that?
@Gaby,
Corrigendum, especially in an article about ‘Spelling Bee’ is glaring. Thanks for pointing it out — no wrath, just thank you.. :-)
@Bapu,
Not to harp on gurukula (lest some drag in hindutva), it is definitely a triumph(at least in parts) of a few ancient Indian systems of education ..
@Quizman,
Thanks for bringing ‘Spellbound’ up. I have seen it and it’s got its share of real-reel aspects. The following snippet from a NYTimes article and Mr.Natarajan’s (1985 winner) comments puts this into perspective). But Indian-American parents are known to be pushy..
@Koppal Haida,
You have a very valid point about rote vs. imaginative ones. But, just to clarify, even in spelling bees, it is not just memorization ; if you have seen it, you will see how the kids grill for the language of origin, alternate pronunciation etc and try and deduce the spelling — so there’s more to it than just the rote.
And on the imaginative side, I’m sure there are plenty of competitions to round..
@Gokulam, @Vijay,
Echo your sentiments, ‘Kudos to the Kids’..
This if anything is a reflection of oral tradions of which the ancient Hindu tradition was one- most tribal traditions are still based on the oral narrative but why arent the they seen as contributory to these ‘ triumphs’ as opposed to Vedic chanting.
I for one would believe this is a victory of sorts for the policies of Macaulay which is the foundation for the modern Indian pedagogy with emphasis on rote learning, memorising and stifling of creativity. My heart goes out to this poor lad who is winning competions of spelling when he should be climbing trees and falling of bikes. I only hope he does even those ordinary things.
“most tribal traditions are still based on the oral narrative”
OK .. we got it. Lets take Vedic chanting as “one of the tradition”. If you know more about Indian tribal oral traditions please go ahead and write a post on that. I seriously am interested. But if you don’t even know other (which is most likely the case…..unless you will now wiki or google it :)) traditions (I certainly don’t) there is no point in crying that “oh…..matte yavaglu vedic chanting-ge bele aite.. bohoo” anta!
“I only hope he does even those ordinary things.”
Why is that most of us think that if a kid participates in a lot of extra-curricular (not sports) then they ain’t “normal”. I for one never enjoyed sports but participated in a lot of literary events. Not every child should climb trees and fall off bikes! Some children are genuinely interested in such activities. Let them be what they want to be.
“policies of Macaulay which is the foundation for the modern Indian pedagogy with emphasis on rote learning, memorising and stifling of creativity.”
I agree 100%…….Having said that, a little bit of rote learning is necessary too. Imagine not having to mug up multiplication tables!
Sandeshappa you took the words out of my mouth- Indeed let them be what they want to be- but in all honesty is that what’s likely to be happening with poor lil Akshay?
Is Sandesh a nom-de-guerre for MGR!
@MGR,
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Nov22007/foreign2007110133645.asp
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1131061&pageid=2
Looks like DH already took note of the achievement of desis :)
@Sandesh,
Thanks. You answered Gaby’s questions better than I would have ..
@Gaby,
No pseudonymns, alter egos or sock-puppets here. I don’t need to change my moniker to take you on ! :-) .
Ancient Indian Educational systems share techniques with tribal chanting — true ; but they were a lot more evolved than tribal sects of that age.
Rote learning has it’s share of advantages and is very common till a certain age ; Multiplication tables I mentioned. To say ‘Spelling Bee’ = Rote learning ONLY is flawed. Like I mentioned, there are many a times the spelling is deduced from clues the judges give. Wrt Geographic Bee, there is a ton more to it than rote. So rote helps, but just some…
I’m sure very many of these kids will turn out OK. To assume they would be devoid of a fairly normal childhood is being presumptuous ; and, the same risks hold true for any other prodigies : budding sporsters or childstars — some become Tiger Woods and Sachins while some fail ..
talking about oral traditions, one of the important things about that is articulation and aural aesthetics.
Withoug going to the debate whether it is worth noting or not, whether it has a hindutuva/otherwise agenda, let us appreciate and encourage learning and achievement, in any part of the world. Let us eep our eyes and mind a open always. Leave politics and political alignments aside. Victory and success for hard work.
BlackBoy, ‘X’ Guy, and Gaby,
Thank you for your contribution. Gaby you made a valid point. Churumuri I think you should consider creating a new column called Indians Doing Well in the Practical Field of Love Athletics. Who knows this one may be widly popular than regular BJP bashing:)
Sorry MGR we are bored stiff reading about the achievements of shloka chanting evergreen kids winning all sorts of trivia contests. I hope these kids grow up and do better at other things in life. Thanks.
DB,
Agree 100%.
Hopefully in the coming years, we will see more practical achievements from Indians (abroad or at home). And less theory.
The list of so meagre, you got to stretch your imagination a bit. Similar to listing individual Indian Olympic medallists. Or Indian nobel prize winners etc.
Akshay’s win in ‘Geographic Bee’ was followed by Sameer Mishra’s win at the ‘Spelling Bee’ ! These two have put the Indian-Americans back on the map after a lull in 2006-2007..
‘Guerdon’ wins spelling bee for Sameer Mishra ! Sameer Mishra took off where Akshay left in terms of winning and notched up an impressive win to become the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/05/30/spelling.bee.ap/index.html?iref=hpmostpop
Hi KP,
Can we have all these ‘OFF’ the topic descussion deleted and doesnt make any relevance to the subject . It undermines the kids effort and is not in good taste .
yeah please delete. sorry.
Looks like my comments are getting lost. In relevant news ..
Congratulations, Sameer Mishra
2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion
http://www.spellingbee.com/
All the kids did well ..at one time 4 out of 7 kids were Indian Americans .
We should equally appreciate the Girls Kavya Shivashanker and Jahnavi Iyer .
Kavya’s father is ‘Mirle’ Shivashanker . Is Mirle the same near ‘Saligrama’ of Mysore district .
Apologies to all the Victorian modesties I might have hurt. But then about irrelevance it’s precious coming from a place whose denizens call themselves TARLE Subba, POLI kitty, DODDI Buddi et al. Well it’s called irony I suppose.
Yes MGR let’s not forget Sameer and Akshay- all power to them as they realise the Great American Dream. I wonder if anybody’s read a book called ‘ last child in the woods’ by Richard Louv- Jus’ askin’, jus’ askin’- back to you Akshay, Sameer and MGR.
I think a Padma award is in order for Sameer Mishra at the very least, for this tremendous “achievement”..
I wonder why Indian media hasn’t caught on to this spelling JenunoNa thingy and started a desi version.. a la paanchvi paas.. or are they worried about the underlying hindutva angle that might damage their psuedo-secular credentials.
“Padma award ” !!!
Why not? When a WWE “wrestler” is being recommended for the same, why not this kiddo??
Jokes apart, the Padma awards should be stopped….
I wrote the first comment. I still stand by my comment that the article is pointless. However, I am surprised to see the response.
What I want to say now is …
American English…..and spellings….HAHAHAHAHA….They don’t go hand in hand … do they?
Another Indian (Indian-Italian?) who gained fame on a TV show in the US for a similar pointless activity – Sanjaya Malakar.
How shlokas, mantras make you a hero in USA but you know what in India! No wonder people salivate to leave India!
Hello Mr. Dheerendragopal,
Thanks for your information, as you said Mr. Shivashankar Mirle is from Mirle of Mysore district.. I hereby requisting you If its possible could i have the contact link of the same… please let me know because i have been trying to collect the information those who has link with mirle…
Thank you and best regards
prashanth.mirle@gmail.com
I was telling my wife when watching Spelling Bee finals the first time around on ABC. This participant Kavya Shivshankar looks like a kannada girl. My guess turned out to be right.
Also by the way, the 3rd place winner Aishwarya Pastapur is also kannadiga from what a blogger indicated on Deccan Herald. Nice showing kannadigas. Keep it up!
The last year has been good for Kannadigas in the awards circle with Bhimsen Joshi winning Bharat Ratna and Aravind Adiga winning Booker prize.