On Mother’s Day, May 11, 2008, Sangita Desai’s daughter, Krisha Desai, approached the stage; Mrs. Desai could not help but feel a sense of pride. Rather than spending her free time for the last couple of months, playing or watching TV, Krisha had dedicated her time to preparing for the upcoming spelling bee. Krisha was not only participating in any spelling bee, but Gujarati Spelling Bee Competition at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Stafford, Texas. Many boys and girls, ages 5-15, had been learning a variety of words, both spelling and meaning, in their mother tongue (Gujarati) in order to compete in this competition. While many participants have taken part in other spelling bees, this one was particularly special as it tested their knowledge of their mother language, Gujarati, which is a second language for most.

Preparations for the spelling bee began in March when participants were given a list of words. Their hard work and determination was apparent as they took the stage with confidence and recited their words properly. A total of 36 balaks (boys) and 32 balikas (girls) participated in this year’s Spelling Bee, each walking away with a better understanding of their native language.

Darshan B Patel, first prize winner in Group 1 participates BAPS Children’s Gujarati Spelling Bee Competition held at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Houston	Krisha Desai receives the third prize trophy in Group 3 at BAPS Children’s Gujarati Spelling Bee Competition. She also received a medal and certificate for her participation and efforts.	One of the participants answering questions at the BAPS Children’s Gujarati Spelling Bee Competition held at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Houston

Every participant was given a medal and certificate for their participation and efforts, and three deserving winners in each group were awarded first, second, and third prize trophies. The awards were presented by Mr. Kamlesh Patel, Chairman of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd. The crowd was full of proud family members and friends supporting the children in their quest to grasp their mother language.

The first prize winners of BAPS children’s Gujarati Spelling Bee competition for 2008 were Group 1: Darshan Patel, Dipali Patel, Group 2: Hemal Patel, Shruti Hariyani, Group 3: Sahil Patel, Jill Patel, Group 4: Romil Patel.

The second price winners were Group 1: Manav Patel, Neeti Patel, Group 2: Nimesh Patel, Mauli Patel, Group 3: Avinash Patel, Aarti Patel, Group 4: Akshar U Patel.

The third prize winners were Group 1: Dhruv Parmar, Purvi Patel, Group 2: Yash Patel, Aktaa Patel, Group 3: Samir Undavia, Krisha Desai, Group 4: Mayur J Patel.

One of the 68 boys and girl who spelled tough gujarati words with clear pronuciations,at the BAPS Children's Gujarati Spelling Bee Competition	A group photo of the participants of BAPS Children’s Gujarati Spelling Bee Competition held at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Houston	The first prize trophy of the BAPS Children’s Gujarati Spelling Bee Competition

Parents were delighted to see such excitement from their children to be learning Gujarati. “This is best way to learn Gujarati for American-born children because it starts with basic Gujarati alphabet to learning way to spell words and its proper pronunciation or each word and its meaning in English,” commented Anup Patel, father of 13 year old Akshar Patel. Mr. Patel added, “He has long way to go but this is a best start.” Many parents agreed that teaching their children Gujarati has been a substantial challenge for them as the need to speak English remains greater in day to day life. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir organizes this annual spelling bee through their Gujarati classes. Gujarati classes are held every Sunday afternoon for various levels of learning and registration is open to everyone. Mrs. Rajeshvari Patel had said her 8-year-old son, Darshan, “was so excited to go to class and learn everything. Today he couldn't wait to go to mandir to participate in the Gujarati spelling bee.” Using a unique combination of fun techniques and well-planned curriculums, the Gujarati classes provide a solid forum for youth to expand their culture through language acquisition.

Making learning enjoyable and providing an environment to easily grasp the language, BAPS continues to ensure a bright future through the youth by keeping them close to the Indian culture and language. Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS, has always encouraged learning Gujarati in order to remain close to our heritage and culture. Through his inspiration, weekly classes and unique and innovative ventures such as this spelling bee are held with this goal in mind. The huge success of this year’s spelling bee is just a small testament that even in this age of rapid change’, an important aspect of our culture can be preserved through our youngest generation.

For more details, please visit www.baps.org or visit http://kids.baps.org/

Request: In Gujarati please write BAPS as

About BAPS

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a worldwide socio-spiritual organization in Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, is dedicated to community service, peace and harmony. Motivated by Hindu principles, BAPS strives to care for the world by caring for societies, families and individuals. Through a number of social and spiritual activities, BAPS endeavors to produce better citizens of tomorrow who have a high esteem for their roots - their rich Hindu culture. Its 9,000 international centers, including more than 5,000 youth centers, support these activities of character-building. Under the guidance and leadership of His Divine Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, BAPS aspires to build a community that is morally, ethically and spiritually pure, and free of addictions.

A jam packed hall of  proud family and friends supporting the children in their quest to embrace their mother language at the BAPS Children’s Gujarati Spelling Bee Competition  held at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Houston

About Pramukh Swami Maharaj

His Divine Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the fifth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, has inspired millions of people across the world to lead a God-centered, morally pure life. As the present leader of BAPS, Pramukh Swami Maharaj travels from village to village, continent to continent, emphasizing the importance of family harmony, community service and spiritual progress. He embodies the essence of Hindu life. His compassion for humanity, universal wisdom and striking simplicity have touched many world religious and national leaders.

For more details visit www.baps.org
For further information Contact:
BAPS North American Headquarters
Tel: 732-777-1414 ex 140
e-mail : media@na.baps.org