05-30-2009, 06:35 AM
Caste breakdown of Indian spelling bee winners
1985 - Balu Natarajan - SIB
1988 - Rageshree Ramachandran - SIB
1999 - Nupur Lala - Northern Merchant
2000 - George Thampy - Southern Merchant
2002 - Pratyush Buddiga - SIB
2003 - Sai Gunturi - SIB
2005 - Anurag Kashyap - NIB
2008 - Sameer Mishra - NIB
2009 - Kavya Shivshankar - SIB
In the 2009 finalists - 7 Indian finalists
there were 2 SIB, 2 Southern Merchants and 3 Northern merchants
The more visible Gujurati and Punjabi castes who form 50% of the US diaspora and 80% of the UK diaspora are almost entirely absent from the finalists ( not just winners ) going back several years
The spelling bee is not due to Indian diaspora but rather due to specific caste diaspora
1985 - Balu Natarajan - SIB
1988 - Rageshree Ramachandran - SIB
1999 - Nupur Lala - Northern Merchant
2000 - George Thampy - Southern Merchant
2002 - Pratyush Buddiga - SIB
2003 - Sai Gunturi - SIB
2005 - Anurag Kashyap - NIB
2008 - Sameer Mishra - NIB
2009 - Kavya Shivshankar - SIB
In the 2009 finalists - 7 Indian finalists
there were 2 SIB, 2 Southern Merchants and 3 Northern merchants
The more visible Gujurati and Punjabi castes who form 50% of the US diaspora and 80% of the UK diaspora are almost entirely absent from the finalists ( not just winners ) going back several years
The spelling bee is not due to Indian diaspora but rather due to specific caste diaspora