The Indian Panorama

Tag: South Asian Spelling Bee

  • Sohum Sukhatankar wins 2018 South Asian Spelling Bee

    Sohum Sukhatankar wins 2018 South Asian Spelling Bee

    EDISON, NJ(TIP): Sohum Sukhatankar of Dallas, TX correctly spelled the word “Dasyuridae” (a family of polyprotodont marsupials that includes the native cats, pouched mice, banded anteater, Tasmanian devil, and related forms) during the 2018 South Asian Spelling Bee finals to clinch the title of national champion and took home a cash prize of $3,000.

    Abhijay Kodali from Flower Mound, TX was the National 1st Runner-Up at the Touchdown Media initiative on Aug.2, which was taped live for broadcast on Sony Entertainment Television.

    The initiative was organized by leading multicultural advertising firm, Touchdown Media Inc. Sony Entertainment Television Asia will broadcast the initiative across the globe in over 120 countries, Kawan Foods returned as the powered by sponsor for the initiative which is now in its 11th year.

    The South Asian Spelling Bee celebrated a decade of bees, which included some special guests at the finals such as 2017 South Asian Spelling Bee National Champion, Sravanth Malla and 2014 South Asian Spelling Bee National Champion, Gokul Venkatachalam.

    “It fills my heart to see such talented young spellers from across the country who make us proud as a community. The initiative is unique in its reach and engagement and this year with the introduction of the SAS-Bee program we were able to give even more spellers the opportunity to win it all and raise the bar even higher. My heartiest congratulations to the winner,” said Rahul Walia, Founder.

    The initiative was open to children up to 14 years of age and was held in 7 regional centers across the United States. These areas included, New Jersey, DC Metro area, Dallas, Chicago, Bay Area, Charlotte, and the returning international center in Ghana.

    Over 600 spellers from these centers participated from which 24 finalists took the stage at the Finals. 12 of which were through the new SAS-Bee program introduced this year.

     “We are extremely happy with Sohum’s win at the Bee as today’s South Asian kids are all-rounders and highly dedicated to their craft. We produced a special section called “Meet the Spellers where the viewers will have an opportunity to get to know some of the spellers including Sohum better,” said Tim Tan, Managing Director, Kawan Food, makers of the world’s most popular Roti Paratha Brand in the world – Kawan Paratha.

    “Nail Biting contest year after year and I personally was unable to get up during the bee! It’s amazing to see the pool of talent from our community and am happy for Sohum Sukhatankar’s win and excited to get to know him and some of the other spellers better in the “Meet the Speller” series airing shortly on Sony,” said Jaideep Janakiram, Head of North America, Sony Entertainment Television-Asia.

    Children up to 14 years of age were eligible to participate and the contest saw spellers of even 6 years of age compete and make it past a few rounds. Registration for 2019 will open in October this year and for more information and to register your child, please visit www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com.

    Find us on Facebook at South Asian Spelling Bee and you can follow us on our Twitter handle at Spell South Asian.

    About Touchdown Media Inc.:

    Touchdown Media Inc. is a specialized South Asian advertising and promotions firm based in New Jersey. Now in its 16th successful year, Touchdown has helped clients, both mainstream and otherwise, reach out to the lucrative South Asian market. Touchdown Media represents more than 35 years of collective experience in this niche market. As a full-service ad firm, Touchdown has helped many clients achieve their media and marketing goals within the South Asian diaspora in the United States.

    About Sony Entertainment Television Asia:

    Since its launch on the Indian subcontinent in 1995, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) has enjoyed rapid success, leading to the establishment of European, North American and African feeds known as SET Asia. SET and SET Asia are now available in over 150 countries. The channels offer their viewers a distinctive blend of entertainment programs twenty-four hours a day, including, soap operas, dramas, sitcoms, concerts, movies, and game shows. For more information, visit www.setasia.tv.

  • The 2018 South Asian Spelling Bee Kicks Off the Season with 4 Regionals

    The 2018 South Asian Spelling Bee Kicks Off the Season with 4 Regionals

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Continuing its quest for the best speller in the community, the 2018 South Asian Spelling Bee (www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com) traveled to Illinois, California, Maryland, and North Carolina this past weekend with stops in Chicago, The Bay Area, Washington DC, and Charlotte.

    With a huge turnout this year, the Bee attracted some top talent as well as young and new spellers that competed for the coveted prizes and titles.

    Chicago: Snehal Choudhury (Regional Champion) and Maya Jadhav (First Runner Up)

    In the Chicago Regional, Snehal Choudhury (13) of Massillon, Ohio was the regional champ and Maya Jadhav (9) of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, was the first runner up.

    Bay Area: Rishik Ghandhasri (Regional Champion) and Vayun Krishna (First Runner Up)

    In Bay Area, Rishik Gandhsri (12) of San Jose, California was the regional champ and Vayun Krishna (11) of Sunnyvale, California, was the first runner up.

    DC: Christopher Serrao (Regional Champion) and Srivarun Hathwar (First Runner Up)

    In DC, Christopher Serrao (12) of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey was the regional champ and Srivarun Hathwar (12) of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was the first runner up.

    Charlotte: Vishal Madhudi (Regional Champion) and Kyu-Carlo Alegre (First Runner Up)

    In Charlotte, Vishal Madhudi (14) of Painted Post, New York was the regional champ and Kyu-Carlo Alegre (13) of Carrollton, Georgia, was the first runner up.

    The event is open to children of South Asian descent up to 14 years of age. It will give South Asian children a chance to test their spelling skills in their core peer group. Interested spellers need their parent or guardian to register them online at www.southasianspellingbee.com.

    Organized by Touchdown Media Inc., the South Asian Spelling Bee is celebrating its 11th anniversary this year and with regionals being held in 6 locations across the United States. Regional centers for this season include Washington, D.C. Metro, Charlotte, the Bay Area, Chicago, New Jersey, and Dallas. All events will be free to attend and open to the public. An international regional in Accra, Ghana was conducted earlier this year, from where spellers of South Asian descent will qualify for the finals.

    “For the past ten years, the Bee has consistently provided a firm platform for the community to come together and hone their craft. It’s become a family activity that contributes towards the overall development of the child. We are proud to enter our eleventh consecutive year and look forward to engaging some of these wonderful spellers,” said Rahul Walia, founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee and CEO of Touchdown Media Inc.

    Within the past year the South Asian Spelling Bee has been exhaustively featured in “Breaking the Bee” and an exclusive story on VICE News that followed the journey of South Asian Spelling Bee spellers and the importance of the South Asian Spelling Bee platform being a vital step in their spelling journey.

    The top two spellers of each regional competition will advance to the finals to be held in New Jersey in August. Champion’s grand prize of $3,000 will be awarded to the winner at the finals.

    This year, the Bee is proudly powered by Kawan- the world’s most popular Roti paratha brand returns as the powered by sponsor and as always, Sony Pictures Networks is the exclusive broadcast partner for the South Asian Spelling Bee and will be airing the series across 120 countries.

    For a complete schedule, registration and any other information, please visit: www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com.

    Find us on Facebook at South Asian Spelling Bee and you can follow us on our Twitter handle at Spell South Asian.

    Touchdown Media Inc. is a specialized South Asian advertising and promotions firm based in New Jersey. Now in its 11th successful year, Touchdown has helped clients- both mainstream and otherwise, reach out to the lucrative South Asian market, Touchdown Media represents more than 35 years of collective experience in this niche market. As a full-service ad firm, Touchdown has helped many clients achieve their media and marketing goals within the South Asian Diaspora in the US.