Amidst the hallowed halls of intellect, Bruhat Soma, a 12-year-old luminary of Indian-American descent hailing from the sun-soaked shores of Florida, ascended the pinnacle of linguistic prowess by clinching the esteemed Scripps National Spelling Bee title. With a remarkable feat of spelling 29 lexicons flawlessly during the tiebreaker, Bruhat upheld the tradition of excellence established by his fellow brethren within this revered competition.
Emerging triumphant on the stage of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Bruhat seized victory’s laurels, including a bountiful reward exceeding USD 50,000. The culmination of this year’s contest unfolded in a riveting tiebreaker, wherein Bruhat eloquently spelled 29 words within a span of 90 seconds, outshining Faizan Zaki, who adeptly navigated through 20 lexicons during the lightning round.
The zenith of Bruhat’s triumph was marked by his adept rendering of the word “abseil,” signifying a descent in mountaineering through a rope looped over a protrusion above. Following 14 arduous rounds spanning three days of rigorous competition, organizers mandated a spell-off to ascertain the ultimate victor.
In the crucible of the tiebreaker, Bruhat assumed the mantle of precedence, effortlessly mastering 30 lexicons, rendering him an indomitable force to reckon with. Conversely, Faizan’s initial pace displayed fluctuations, as he endeavored through 25 words, faltering on four occasions. A resounding proclamation echoed forth: “Bruhat Soma, the Sovereign of Verbose Wisdom! The Vanquisher of Lexical Riddles! The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee’s Unassailable Champion!” proclaimed the organizers.
“Bruhat Soma adeptly spelled 29 out of 30 attempted words, clinching the coveted championship title and surpassing the previous spell-off record set by Harini Logan in 2022. Logan demonstrated proficiency by spelling 22 out of 26 words accurately during the inaugural spell-off,” lauded the organizers.
As the event unfolded, it became evident that Faizan and Bruhat, the ultimate contenders, arrived poised to conquer the lexicon. Corrie Loeffler, the executive director of the Bee, remarked, “Together, they forged an indomitable alliance in their quest to conquer the expansive realms of vocabulary.” In the waning moments of the competition, Bee officials sanctioned the spell-off, affording these prodigious wordsmiths an opportunity to further showcase their prodigious talents, as articulated by Loeffler.
Each finalist was granted 90 seconds to enunciate as many words as possible from a predetermined lexicon, while their counterpart remained sequestered.
Bruhat demonstrated unwavering proficiency, flawlessly articulating every lexicon during the 90-second duration: “brouette,” “adelantado,” “hyporcheme,” “bisellium,” “mycteric,” “endecha,” “sericin,” “nyctalopia,” “ascham,” “wenzel,” “cebell,” “heautophany,” “kwazoku,” “panetiere,” “sagaie,” “nachschlage,” “exorhason,” “giclee,” “ashwagandha,” “puszta,” “asarotum,” “scintillante,” “myrabalanus,” “sciniph,” “voussoir,” “caizinha,” “ramoneur,” “aposiopesis,” and “abseil.” The 31st word, “posology,” lingered unspoken as time expired, with only “porphyrio” falling astray.
Adorned with a vermilion tika upon his brow, symbolizing Hindu auspice and purity, Bruhat stood as a paragon of erudition. His parents attested to his prodigious memory, citing his retention of approximately 80 percent of the sacred Hindu scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita. “My heart raced with anticipation upon realizing my victory,” reflected Bruhat. “Though I harbored optimism, the moment remained surreal.”
Adam Symson, president and CEO of The E W Scripps Company, bestowed upon Bruhat the championship trophy, extolling his erudition and poise at a tender age of 12. Srinivas Soma, Bruhat’s father, hails from Nalgonda in Telangana.
This marked Bruhat’s third foray into the hallowed precincts of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He secured a joint 74th position in 2023 and a shared 163rd place in 2022. Zaki of Allen, Texas, received a commendation of USD 25,000. Shrey Parikh of Rancho Cucamonga, California, joined him in third place, garnering USD 12,500.
Coached by the 16-year-old former luminary Sam Evans, Bruhat embarked on a journey of linguistic conquest, having previously triumphed in the Words of Wisdom Bee and SpellPundit Bee before descending upon a Maryland suburb of Washington DC for the prestigious competition.
The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee featured eight finalists, of whom five were of Indian-American descent: Rishabh Saha, 14, and Shrey Parikh, 12, from California; Aditi Muthukumar, 13, from Colorado; and Ananya Rao Prassanna, 13, from North Carolina.
Dev Shah, an Indian-American, clinched victory in the preceding year’s Bee with the adept spelling of “psammophile,” following in the footsteps of Harini Logan, the 2022 champion.
Initiated in 1925, the Scripps National Spelling Bee stands as the epitome of scholastic pursuit, enduring as the nation’s largest and oldest educational program. It represents a crucible of intellectual fortitude, wherein spellers undergo rigorous preparation to meet its exacting standards.
The Bee’s hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic cast a pall over the academic arena. In 2019, the competition witnessed the crowning of eight co-champions, seven of whom hailed from the Indian-American community. Since 1999, a staggering 29 Indian-Americans have ascended to the pinnacle of spelling excellence.
This year’s competition attracted 245 spellers, including 65 returning contenders. Notably, 24 spellers, predominantly of Indian-American descent, boasted familial ties to prior participants in a combined 40 Scripps National Spelling Bees.
Four finalists from the 2023 edition advanced to the 2024 national competition: Sarah Fernandes, who shared 10th place; Aryan Khedkar, who tied for fifth; Tarini Nandakumar, finishing ninth; and Shradha Rachamreddy, who tied for third. Aliyah Alpert and Kirsten Santos emerged as finalists in 2022. Indian-American prodigy Akash Vukoti achieved a record six appearances in the finals, spanning from 2016 to 2023.