<p>[Why</a> are Indian kids so good at spelling? They have their own minor-league spelling bee circuit. - By Ben Paynter - Slate Magazine](<a href=“http://www.slate.com/id/2255622/]Why”>Gokul Venkatachalam and Vanya Shivashankar are spelling bee co-winners: Why are Indian kids so good at spelling?)</p>
<p>“The NSF circuit consists of 75 chapters run by close to 1,000 volunteers. The competitions, which began in 1993, function as a nerd Olympiad for Indian-Americansthere are separate divisions for math, science, vocab, geography, essay writing, and even public speakingand a way to raise money for college scholarships for underprivileged students in India.”</p>