A warm narrative following one family’s months-long preparation, with practical lessons for Indian and NRI parents Introduction: More Than Words It’s a quiet Saturday evening in suburban New Jersey. The Kumars’ living room hums with the low whirr of a ceiling fan and the occasional crackle of pages turning. At the dining table, 12-year-old Anika…
A Quiet Revolution at the Microphone Each May, when the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals air live across the United States, millions watch children—some barely taller than the microphone—spell words that stump most adults. Since 1999, more than two-thirds of the champions have been of Indian heritage. The streak is so steady that newspapers call…
How environment, policy, and community pipelines turned spelling into an American success story for Indian families Opening: a curious modern pattern If you follow the Scripps National Spelling Bee (the big U.S. event) you’ve likely noticed something striking: a large share of recent champions are children of Indian origin. Between the late 1990s and the…
