Indian-Americans dominate Scripps National Spelling Bee

NIHAR Saireddy Janga, 11, of Austin, Texas, and Jairam Jagadeesh Hathwar, 13, of Painted Post, New York, were declared co-champions at the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Maryland.
Indian-Americans have been champions at the Bee for nine straight years and 14 out of the last 19. Nupur Lala’s victory in 1999 was featured in the documentary “Spellbound.”
Jairam’s spelt Feldenkrais, which is derived from a trademark and means a system of body movements intended to ease tension, and Nihar won with gesellschaft, which means a mechanistic type of social relationship.
Each received US$45,000 in cash and prizes.
Jairam plans to study medicine at Harvard, and Nihar wants to be a neurosurgeon.
The third-place finisher Snehaa Kumar of Folsom, California, also an Indian-American, received US$20,000.