By Reena Bhardwaj |
Maryland [US], May 31 (ANI): Bruhat Soma, a seventh grader, claimed the US National Spelling Bee champion title along with a Scripps Cup trophy and a check for USD 50,000 after correctly spelling a 90-second spell off against the second runners up 12-year-old Faizan Zaki from Texas.
12-year-old Bruhat spelled 29 words correctly in the tiebreaker, beating Zaki by nine, to win the title on Thursday night. His winning word was “abseil,” meaning “a descent in mountaineering by means of a rope looped over a projection above.”
Bruhat went first, and after he got through 30 words, it appeared like it would be impossible to beat. Faizan’s pace was more uneven at the outset. He attempted 25 words but flubbed four of them.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee attracted 11 million contestants from around the world, and Soma emerged as one of the most confident finalists.
He is the 28th Indian-American to have held the title. The 12-year-old beat 228 other competitors, including 7 finalists on Thursday night.
Bruhat previously competed in 2022 (tied for 163rd place) and 2023 (tied for 74th place).
According to his profile, Bruhat is a multifaceted person with many interests and hobbies. He loves to play and watch basketball, and his favourite player is LeBron James. He also likes to play badminton and Ping-Pong, which clearly shows his passion for sports. Bruhat also has a passion for music, playing snare drum in his middle school band. He is an avid reader who will devour any book on which he can get his hands.
The champions’ parents and sisters were also present at the event and said that they were very proud of their son’s accomplishment. Bruhat mother also shared that her son has a sharp memory and has memorized 80 per cent of the Bhagwat Gita.
The preliminary rounds took place on Wednesday, while the quarterfinals and semifinals followed on Thursday.
This year, six of the eight finalists are of South Asian descent including Indian Americans.
Over the past 20 years, Indian Americans have come to dominate the Scripps National Spelling Bee – a group that makes up about 1.3 per cent of the US population.
The annual event has been synonymous with Indian Americans, and this year’s cohort includes a majority number. (ANI)
“God made it happen…”: US 2024 Spelling Bee winner, Indian-origin Bruhat Soma reveals how he memorised 80 pc of Bhagavad Gita
Florida [US], June 2 (ANI): Showcasing a strong connection to his Indian roots, 12-year-old Bruhat Soma, a seventh-grade Indian-American student from Florida who emerged victorious at the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee, revealed his accomplishment of memorising 80 per cent of the Bhagavad Gita.
“So, actually, the Bhagavad Gita, I did this program called Pragma, and it taught me the Vishnu, Saranamam and the Bhagavad Gita. And, yeah, the Bhagavad Gita is 700 slokas. And then they teach, like, a few slokas per class, and then we memorized them,” Soma told ANI.
“I slowly started memorising Bhagavad Gita, then I started doing spelling a bit more but now I am going to continue finishing the Bhagavad Gita… I do believe (in divine power) because God makes several things happen,” he added.
Describing his heritage and roots, 12-year-old Soma said he is from Telangana and said that he was very excited to know his relatives were rooting for him.
He said, “So, in India, I’m from Telangana, and I’ll probably go back in any summer, like, for vacation, or one of my relatives, they’re planning her wedding, so I might go back then, but, yeah, it depends. But I’ll probably go back pretty soon.”
Expressing his excitement at winning the championship, Bruhat shared, “When I won, I was excited. I was really happy because, for the past year, I’ve been working hard. So when I just won, it was like a dream come true.”
Being of Indian-American descent, Bruhat’s victory holds special significance for many in India who were rooting for him. He told ANI, “A lot of my relatives are in India, most of them are in India. They’ve sent congratulations. A lot of them watch the video. So, yeah, that’s pretty exciting to know that all of my relatives back in India were rooting for me.”
Despite winning a significant prize of USD 50,000, Bruhat intends to donate the amount to a worthy cause.
“Well, I mean, for the USD 50,000, I’ve decided to donate it to a good cause, but I don’t know the cause yet. But yeah, it will be for a good cause,” he said.
Looking ahead, Bruhat aspires to become a doctor and believes that his championship win will aid him in achieving his goal.
“Yeah, I want to be a doctor when I grow up, and this championship is going to help me get into a good university to study medicine better,” he underlined. (ANI)
