On the day before L. Sanjan was leaving to Abu Dhabi, his mother Anuja hurriedly went through her iPad spelling app and found the word ‘apiary,’ which her son was not familiar with. He spent a couple of minutes practicing the word before he got on the flight.
Luckily, apiary was one of the words that was asked in the finals of the MaRRS International Spelling Bee Competition that took place in Abu Dhabi on May 23. Sanjan, a student of Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram, was placed first in category 2 (age group 8-10).
This Class IV boy has been practising from when he was six.
“We took it lightly initially. Sanjan used to do well in language and so participated in school level spelling bees and did well. Over the past two years, he has won a number of prizes for his spelling, including being the National Champion in 2014 in New Delhi,” his father C. Lenin said.
At the Spelling Bee, Sanjan spelt 34 words in a row to win. The competition tests synonyms, antonyms, word origin and oral skills. “My favourite word is sheath – the covering of a sword,” Sanjan explained, adding that he practiced around 300 to 400 words a day before any competition.
“I love learning new words. It has improved my vocabulary and I use it in day-to-day life,” Sanjan said.
