Perseverance likely key to Indian American grip on bee

Vanya Shivashankar featured prominently in the 2014 Spelling Bee and her older sister Kavya won on her fourth trip to the contest in 2009. Photo / AP

The streak is as impressive as it is difficult to explain. In much the same way that Kenyan runners have owned the Boston Marathon, Indian American kids have placed a stranglehold on the Scripps National Spelling Bee, winning it now for seven years in a row and all but four of the past 15 years.

The streak has been much discussed and analysed in recent years - except by the people who actually run the bee.

For the first time, Paige Kimble, the bee's longtime director, agreed to address the sensitive question of why Indian Americans have come to dominate the contest, which got under way today in Maryland.

Part of her motivation: the outpouring of ugliness aimed at last year's co-champions, Sriram Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe, on social media.

Even she's not sure how to explain the extraordinary performance of Indian American youngsters in the national bee compared with other groups.

She said the difference for Indian American children may be a commitment to pursue the spelling championship over many years.

"What might be happening [with Indian American contestants] is that there might be perseverance for the National Spelling Bee goal over a longer period of time."

Indeed, of the Indian American champions over the past 15 years, only one, Pratyush Buddiga, won on a first trip to the national bee in 2002. The others won after multiple trips, including last year's co-champ Hathwar, who made it to the national bee five times before winning, and Kavya Shivashankar in 2009 and Sameer Mishra in 2008, who won on their fourth trips.

Bee organisers were appalled by the reaction to last year's contest, when Sriram, then 14, and his co-winner Ansun, then 13, were greeted with a barrage of racist comments on Facebook and Twitter: "The kids in the spelling bee should only be American". "No American sounding names who won the spelling B. #sad#fail". "We need an american to win this spelling bee #tiredofindians".

The outburst stung an organisation that sees itself as representative of the American ideal of cultural diversity.

Despite the backlash, the growing spelling dynasty has become a source of great pride for Indian Americans. They account for just under 1 per cent of the US population but make up more than a fifth of the 285 spellers competing this week in the 88th edition of the bee.

Shalini Shankar, an anthropology professor at Northwestern University, points out that immigrants from India, who are the parents and grandparents of today's spellers, are typically well-educated professionals and driven to succeed. She is amused by bee watchers who suggest that a "spelling gene" might explain the domination.

Kimble understands the interest in why Indian Americans have done so well. But she hopes for a more enlightened response in the future.

"We look forward to the day when these children are called American first. And we think they do, too."

- Washington Post-Bloomberg