Kashyap, hallmark of integration

Winner Anurag Kashyap, a Californian of Indian origin, won thanks to the fact he knew how to spell the musical term "appoggiatura".

Sahiti Surapaneni knows where "matutinal" comes from: Latin, meaning of the morning, she says.

But as Sahiti spells out the word she puts an "e" instead of an "a" on the final syllable. The bell sounds and she's eliminated.

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The national spelling bee, a well established American tradition, has 273 finalists, aged nine to 14, meeting at a plush Washington hotel. Many of them are children of immigrants, absorbed in their parents' desire to see them integrated.

Winner Anurag Kashyap, a Californian of Indian origin, took first prize on Thursday, winning thanks to the fact he knew how to spell the musical term "appoggiatura". The three runners up all hail from South Asia.

"Most parents aren't natives," said John Mathis, of Mississippi whose daughter Meg was eliminated among the 40 finalists.

"They usually have a stronger work ethic. The children study six to seven hours a day.

"Their recent immigration is an additional motor, to show they fit in by succeeding," he added.

On the red-carpeted platform, candidates' chairs fall empty one by one. Silences grow heavy, anxiety is palpable.

Parents hold their breath. "I know this one," says one mother as she hears the next word to be spelled, jotting all of them down in a notebook. The boy on the platform moves off, breathing a sigh of relief, and sits back down.

"It's a lot of work, it can be pretty stressful," says Meg, whose mother is Japanese.

"When I was young, my Dad would throw words at me to spell and I always got them wrong, it made me want to learn," says the 14-year-old.

The losers are escorted to the "comfort room" behind the scenes to recover, before they're mobbed by journalists from all over the United States who have come to cover how their own local participant fares.

Nidharshan Anandasivam, 12, drained after his efforts, stands with his back against a column, staring into space. It was muesli that let him down. The young Sri Lankan from Texas who doesn't eat the cereal for breakfast forgot the "e" in the middle of the word.

It's his third attempt, but Nidharshan, son of doctor parents, can try again next year. After the fourth try, it's over though. His younger brother is preparing to carry on the family effort.

Alka Singh, 35, seven months pregnant and radiant in a sky blue sari, is not too concerned when her son is knocked out. At only nine he's one of the youngest contenders. Just one participant is younger than him -- by two days.

"When we moved here, he was three," said Singh. "The first day at school the teacher thought, 'Oh no, another kid who doesn't speak the language, he'll have to go to ESL -- English as a second language -- classes.'

"But two weeks later, the principal called us in. We were worried it might be some mischief, but he said our son was bored in class and needed to go into a gifted children programme."

If it appears that many children who originate on the Indian subcontinent end up in the finals of the US spelling championship, it's because, "School is very important to us," said Singh.

"The benchmark is different, much more demanding in India.

"It's very important to go to college and do well. Here, if kids want to drop out or don't care to take this or that class, their parents don't care, they let them."