Racist attack after PIOs win Scripps National Spelling Bee

New York: The historic win by two Indian-American students at the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee contest drew some flak on the social media with many making racial innuendos about children of Indian-origin having an unbeaten record at the contest.

Sriram Hathwar, 14 and Ansun Sujoe, 13, were the first joint winners in 52 years. The two almost exhausted the 25 designated words. This was the seventh consecutive year that Indian-American students have retained the title.

Sriram, 14, is an eighth grader from the Alternative School for Maths and Science, from New York, while Ansun, 13, is a seventh grader from Texas.

“The competition was against the dictionary, not against each other,” said Sriram. “Same here,” Ansun said. They will receive a $30,000 cash prize, an engraved trophy and other gifts.

Ansun in the 22nd round correctly spelled “feuilleton”, defined as “a part of a European newspaper or magazine devoted to material designed to entertain the general reader.”

In the 21st round Sriram correctly spelled “stichomythia”, which is “dialogue especially of altercation or dispute delivered in alternating lines.”

The win led to some US audience making racial comments. “Where is the diversity? Why are there not women or non-Asian minorities winning? Sounds racist to me,” one wrote on the Washington Post site.

Another reader said, “How is it that foreigners who are new to America are able to win the spelling bee like this?” while another reader posted, “First they took our beauty queen title then they take our bee. Whats next they take away our jobs”

A comment on Twitter by Matt Marzullo said, “We need an american to win this spelling bee #tiredofindiansmatt”. 

Another said “The kids in the spelling bee should only be AMERICAN”.

Another tweet said “Shocking that neither of the Spelling bee champs have names that sound American #Sriram #Ansun.”