"S Asians top US spelling contests"

is a BBC News headline today. 4 out of top 10 are of Indian origin, and apparently Indians have come to dominate the event.

Chicago-based Dr Balu Natarajan, who won the Spelling Bee in 1985 and was a judge at this year's contest, says there is one common thread among nearly all winners regardless of ethnic background - extensive involvement and support from family.

"This is not a contest which many kids can win by preparing solely by themselves. I think that many South Asian families are willing and able to provide this level of support," said Dr Natarajan.

His parents helped him by finding word lists, looking up definitions and pronunciations and quizzing him on them. They even took days off work in order to help him prepare.

I personally disdain these kinds of contests because they value something trivial (rote memory) instead of what really matters (quality of communication and self-expression) - and also because I am good at spelling and I know how completely trivial good spelling is in this day and age of spell-checkers. But hey, it takes all kinds to make the world go around...

But still, a small voice in my head keeps muttering - $40,000 for the first prize?!...