STAFFORD, TX: On Mother's Day, May 11, 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. In all 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.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 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.

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.

Rajeshvari Patel 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.