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Four Indian-origin kids enter Australian spelling bee final
Sydney, July 27
Four Indian-origin children,
including a pair of twins, are among 50 kids who have reached the finals
of the Great Australian Spelling Bee contest, media reported on Monday.
Scheduled
to be aired on Channel 10 from August 3, the Great Australian Spelling
Bee contest chose the finalists from over 3,000 children across
Australia.
"These kids are the brightest in their schools,
classes and States," The West Australian quoted show host Grant Denyer
as saying.
Anirudh Kathirvel, twins Harpita and Harpith and Tej - all passed the three stages to reach the finals.
In
the first stage, the participants appeared for three online tests --
spelling, grammar and comprehension. The second stage included a Skype
interview and spelling test.
In the third stage, the students were tested on the bases of a live audition and spelling test.
The students said they did not take any special training for the competition.
Harpita's
favourite word to spell was Cafune, a word of Brazilian Portuguese
origin which means act of running fingers through a loved one's hair.
Harpith's
favourite word was 'Floccinaucinihilipilification'; one of the longest
words in the English language it means the action or habit of estimating
something as worthless.
The Great Australian Spelling Bee
witnesses children aged from eight to 13 compete in a series of
word-related games and challenges.
To advance, each speller must
display a combination of speed, skill and smartness to deconstruct words
they may never have heard before, let alone spelt.