DPSI Ghana wins South Asian Spelling Bee
Thirteen-year-old Vishal Mukesh Thakwani of the Delhi Public School International, Ghana was adjudged the best speller in Ghana for 2016 at the regional level of the South Asian Spelling Bee contest.
Advertisement
Vishal beat 21 other spellers nationwide to clinch the ultimate title which saw him take home a cash prize of $300, a certificate and a plaque.
The first and second runners-up, Anmov Daftray and Shreshita Arora, who also took home certificates, plaques, $200 and $100, respectively, gave Vishal a very stiff challenge during the final stages which lasted for almost an hour.
Vishal and Anmov will, on August 5, 2016, represent Ghana at the National Championship in New Jersey, USA.
The stiff competition saw Vishal being given a hot chase, but he was able to stand out and clinch the victory.
Vishal beams with smiles
Vishal beamed with a smile after he was declared the winner.
“I am overwhelmed and cannot express my joy but to thank everyone here,” he said, and promised to win the national competition to make the DPS International and Ghana proud.
Prior to the victory, Vishal had been the 2015 Spelling Bee Champion of Ghana. He was the first runner-up in the 2014 National Champion of the Spelling Bee Competition.
The Coordinator of the South Asian Competition, Mr Barney Gallassio, was impressed by the spellers. He congratulated Vishal on the feat and wished other competitors well.
“The National Championship will be a special event where we are keen to see the champion of champions in the National Competition, and we hope Vishal will make his school and country proud,” he said.
He urged parents to encourage their children to read often and read a variety of books.
Director of school
Mr Mukesh Thakwani, the Director of the DPS International could not hide his joy when his son once again won the competition.
He seized the opportunity to thank the coaches of the participants for bringing out the best in the students and urged them to do more.
He congratulated the teachers and management of the school on the training and knowledge they were imparting to the children and assured the school and Ghanaians that DPS International would bring the national trophy to Africa.
About the competition
The competition is open to any student between eight and 14 who has at least one parent or grandparent who is of South Asian descent or whose lineage can be traced to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Since its launch in 2008, the South Asian Spelling Bee has been aired in over 120 countries on Sony Entertainment Television Asia as a multi-part series.
This is the maiden competition held in Africa for children up to 14 years.
The contest was conducted in written and oral format which served as the elimination, as well as the selection, process for the finalists.
