New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit next month for a bilateral summit with US President Barak Obama will see the PM make time to meet a special duo of Indian-Americans – Vanya Shivashankar and Gokul Venkatachalam – the co-champions of the prestigious Spelling Bee contest.
While the meeting with the spellbee winners may make it to Narendra Modi's itinerary this time, there is no official word on the meeting as yet. Making history, these two Indian-American children had won the world's prestigious spelling bee contest second time in a row.
PM Modi is slated to visit United States from June 6-8, though the White House is yet to make an official announcement on the same.
During his visit, the PM is likely to visit National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Further appointments may include an address to a joint session of the US Congress and meeting with global CEOs.
Also, a meeting of the US India Business Council is on the cards as he projects the country as an investment destination.
This spelling bee engagement is regarded as a unique outreach programme by the Prime Minister, who will have several key political and business appointments during his trip, including a meeting with President Barack Obama, reported a leading daily.
Fifteen of the last 19 winners (1999 to 2015), including all champions for the last eight years (2008-2015), have been Indian Americans.
The years 2014 and 2015 saw two co-winners each.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is held every year in Washington DC over a two-day period at the end of May or in the beginning of June.
This year, 285 contestants will compete for the title. Preliminaries will be on May 24 and the finals will be held on May 26.
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