Thousands turn up for spelling contest

So you think the SMS culture has weaned away the interest of the youth in the intricacies of English spelling? No ways – as they say in college campuses - as the audience gathered at the district level championship of MaRRS – International Spelling Bee contest revealed.

Over 1,400 students from class I-XII displayed their prowess in spelling, at Shivarathreeshwara Centre, 8th Block, Jayanagar earlier this week. These students were the winners of the school-level spelling competitions. The competition had three rounds – Dictation Round, Jumbled Word and Oral round.

About 500 students qualified for the state-level round that will be held in the same venue on May 21.