The Indian Panorama

Tag: Akshainie Kamma

  • 2021 Virtual Regionals and Finals Conclude for South Asian Spelling Bee

    METUCHEN, NJ (TIP):  The South Asian Spelling Bee (www.southasianspellingbee.com) concluded its quest for the best speller in the country, by successfully ending yet another virtual season of the program. Six virtual regionals and finals were conducted within the past four weeks.

    Spellers from across the country participated in the Houston, TX, Dallas, TX, Seattle, WA, Raleigh, NC, Edison, NJ, and Fremont, CA virtual regional centers and as usual the Bee attracted some top talent in the circuit.

    Virtual Finals pic: National Champion – Sahasrad Sathish of Grayslake, IL
    Runner Up – Akshainie Kamma of Round Rock, TX

    At the 2021 Virtual Finals, Sahasrad Sathish, 12, of Grayslake, IL was the national champion and Akshainie Kamma, 13, of Round Rock, TX was the first runner up.

    Houston pic: Champion – Ishika Varipilli of Spring, TX
    Runner Up – Yash Ganesh of Tulsa, OK

    In Houston, Ishika Varipilli, 11, of Spring, TX was the regional champion and Yash Ganesh, 9, of Tulsa, OK was the first runner up.

    Dallas pic: Champion – Michael Kolagani of Austin, TX
    Runner up – Rishi Nemmani of McKinney, TX

    In Dallas, Michael Kolagani, 13, of Austin, TX was the regional champion and Rishi Nemmani, 12, of McKinney, TX was the first runner up.

    Seattle pic: Co-Champion – Pranav Chandar of Newburgh, IN Co-Champion – Saharsh Vuppala of Bellevue, WA

    In Seattle, Pranav Chandar, 13, of Newburgh, IN and Saharsh Vuppala, 13, of Bellevue, WA were the two co-champions.

    Raleigh pic: Co-Champion – Akshita Balaji of Herndon, VA
    Co-Champion – Maya Jadhav of Fitchburg, WI

    In Raleigh, Akshita Balaji, 14, of Herndon, VA and Maya Jadhav, 13, of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, were the two co-champions.

    Edison pic: Regional Champion – Akshainie Kamma of Round Rock, TX
    Runner Up – Dev Shah of Seminole, FL

    In Edison, Akshainie Kamma, 13, of Round Rock, TX was the regional champ and Dev Shah, 12, of Seminole, FL was the first runner up.

    Fremont pic: Regional Champion – Harini Logan of Shavano Park, TX
    Runner Up – Shradha Rachamreddy of San Jose, CA

    In Fremont, Harini Logan, 13, of Shavano Park, TX was the regional champ and Shradha Rachamreddy, 11, of San Jose, CA was the first runner up.

    The top two spellers of each regional competition advanced to the finals that was held virtually in Edison, NJ on August 6. Champion’s grand prize of $3,000 was awarded to the national winner Sahasrad Sathish at the finals. An initiative of the South Asian Engagement Foundation and managed by leading multicultural marketing firm Touchdown Media, the South Asian Spelling Bee is celebrating its 14th anniversary this year.

    “Even with the competition going virtual, the raw talent of these spellers was on full display, said Bee Director Daisy Walia. “We are happy to provide a veritable platform for these spellers so they can showcase their spelling prowess”, she added.

    “I applaud the efforts of the team and spellers for yet another successful season despite the odds, said Rahul Walia, Founder. “We are also very fortunate to have the support of the South Asian Engagement Foundation and Kawan Foods to help us bring the platform to the community in 2021.”

    About South Asian Engagement Foundation: The South Asian Engagement Foundation (SAEF) has a mission to increase leadership potential in migrant communities by providing incentives using educational initiatives and civic engagements. SAEF’s vision is to continue supporting and organizing educational initiatives and cultural outreach to expand national awareness in migrant communities. To volunteer and donate, please visit www.saef-us.org

    (Press Release)

  • Nine Indian Americans among 11 US Spelling Bee Finalists this Year 

    Nine Indian Americans among 11 US Spelling Bee Finalists this Year 

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Nine of the 11 finalists for this year’s US Spelling Bee contest are Indian Americans, reflecting the dominance young kids from the small ethnic community have had on this prestigious and high-pressure endurance test for more than a decade now. The 11 spellers, of which nine are Indian-Americans, will compete for the champion title during the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals on July 8, a statement said on Monday, June 28. During the in-person finals, the Bee will have the option of activating a spell-off if needed. The spell-off would be activated in the closing minutes of the competition if a champion has not yet been declared in a traditional, one-person, one-word round, it said. “We are honored to introduce our 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finalists. Round after round, this group of spellers proved their mettle, and we look forward to seeing them show off their knowledge and hard work as they square off against the dictionary on the national stage,” said Dr J Michael Durnil, executive director of the Bee.

    “Congratulations to all of this year’s 209 national qualifiers – they’ve persevered over a year that has been challenging in many ways, and our team is proud to have witnessed their journey,” he said.

    The National Bee is a high-profile, high-pressure endurance test as much as a nerd spelling match and spellers spend months preparing for it. The final rounds of this year’s contest will be hosted in person at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, and will be broadcast live in prime time on ESPN2.

    The 11 finalists are Roy Seligman, 12, from Nassau, The Bahamas; Bhavana Madini, 13, from New York; Sreethan Gajula, 14, from Charlotte, North Carolina; Ashrita Gandhari, 14, from Leesburg, Virginia; Avani Joshi, 13, from Illinois; Zaila Avant-garde, 14, from New Orleans; Vivinsha Veduru, 10, from Texas; Dhroov Bharatia, 12, from Dallas; Vihaan Sibal, 12, from Texas; Akshainie Kamma, 13, from Texas and Chaitra Thummala, 12, from San Francisco.

    Over the past 20 years, Indian Americans have been dominating the Spelling Bee contest even though they comprise only about 1 per cent of the US population.

    The Bee was cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But there were eight co-champions in 2019, seven of whom were Indian Americans, bringing the total number of Indian-American champions since 1999 to 26.