Bruhat Soma, a 12-year-old Indian-American student, has won the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling 29 words in the tie-breaker round. After his victory, the Class 7 student recited a shloka from the Bhagavad Gita, which he had memorised almost completely.
Bruhat's win marks the 28th time an Indian-American has won the prestigious title. This victory was his third attempt at the national level, where he spelt 29 words correctly out of 30 in 90 seconds, surpassing his closest competitor, Faizan Zaiki from Texas, who managed 20 words.
Speaking to ANI about his win and his love for the Bhagavad Gita, Bruhat said, "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 shared that he has committed to memory 80% of the Hindu religious text.
#WATCH | Maryland: Winner of the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee, a seventh-grade Indian-American student Bruhat Soma recites Shloka from Bhagavad Gita.
June 2, 2024
He says, "...I slowly started memorising Bhagavad Gita, then I started doing spelling a bit more but now I am going to… pic.twitter.com/tXVPrqOe8rThe video of Bruhat reciting the shloka has gone viral on social media. Many users praised him for staying connected to his Indian roots. "He is lucky to have parents who guided him on the right path of Geeta. 🙏🏽 Congratulations Bruhat," one user wrote.
He is lucky to have parents who guided him on right path of Geeta. 🙏🏽
June 2, 2024
Congratulations Bruhat👍🏽Another commented, "Magic starts when he starts the shloka recitation. You are transported back to a temple of your childhood."
Magic starts when he starts the shloka recitation. You are transported back to a temple of your childhood.
June 2, 2024A third user added, "Hats off to him for being so rooted to the culture of Sanatana Dharma. Although the shloka he recited is of Hayagreeva (Vishnu's Avatar of knowledge)."
Hats off to him for being so rooted to the culture of Sanatana Dharma. Although the shloka he recited is of Hayagreeva (Vishnu's Avatar of knowledge)
June 2, 2024In the Spelling Bee contest, Bruhat defeated Zaiki, who managed to spell 20 words in the lightning round. Bruhat described his victory as a "dream come true" moment, expressing joy and satisfaction for his hard work over the past year. "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. A lot of my relatives are in India, most of them are in India," he said.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee organisers praised Bruhat, highlighting his exceptional memory. "Bruhat Soma rules the word! The Champion of the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee! The boy with the unbelievable memory doesn't miss a word all week and takes home the Scripps Cup!" they announced.
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