The grand finale of Spellinc 2019-20, an all-Bengal inter-school English spelling competition pioneered by Linc Pen and Plastics Limited, was held today at the National Library in the city. Out of 79 schools from Bengal that participated in the event, in the junior category Divsha Ray from Gokhale Memorial Girl’s School emerged as the final winner. Rudrani Mukherjee from National English School was the runner-up while Samridh Kumar from Delhi Public School, Megacity was the second runner-up. In the senior category Ashme Sarkar from La Martineire For Girls emerged as the final winner Amitayush Ghosh from Akshar School were the runners-up while Kaavya Mahajan from Delhi Public School, Ruby Park and Govind Sarda, St. Michael’s School, Siliguri were the joint second runners-up. The winners bagged a Samsung laptop along with a Linc hamper, a gift voucher from Starmark, a voucher from Yellow Straw and a hamper from Ajanta Shoes while the runners up received a Samsung Tab along with a Linc hamper, a gift voucher from Starmark, a voucher from Yellow Straw and a hamper from Ajanta Shoes.
Spellinc is a state-level spelling competition that tests students from standard V to standard VIII on the parameters of English spelling and vocabulary. It is a LINC initiative towards promoting education amongst all by encouraging students to master the usage of correct spelling in the language. What started as a recreational activity for the employees of the company in 1999 has now grown to a stature of a national event in the last 17 years and covered over 1,500 schools across 11 cities. During its successful journey, the competition has received immense accolades from academicians across the country.
The competition was divided into 3 rounds, the 1st round was held at the participating schools, 2 winners (1 from each category) from each school then moved to the semi-final round which was held at Shri Shikshayatan School. This year the competition included a wild card round for students who could not participate in round 1. The winners from the semi-finals, 10 from each category, qualified for the grand finale.
The current edition saw participation from 65,000 students across 79 top schools in Bengal. Some of the schools that participated in the competition included La Martiniere for Boys, La Martiniere for Girls, Lakshmipat Singhania, Birla High School, Delhi Public School, Sri Shikshayatan School, Kendriya Vidyalaya, St. James, Don Bosco Park Circus, St. Lawrence, to name a few. This year the competition had British council as the knowledge partner. Riddhima Somaiya from the British Council was the quizmaster and Madhumita Choudhuri was the anchor for the final round.
The exciting contest witnessed the teams compete in many nail-biting rounds like ‘Spell and Tell’, ‘Idioms’, and ‘Kangaroo Words’. Ecstatic after their win, Ashme Sarkar from the winning school (La Martineire For Girls) of the senior category said, “We are very proud to be the winners of Spellinc 2020, a competition that proves our mettle and proficiency in the English language. The stiff competition tested our skill-sets to the fullest and we are delighted to come out with flying colours.”
Speaking at the grand finale, Mr. Deepak Jalan, Managing Director and CEO, Linc Pen and Plastics Limited, said, “This year’s edition of Spellinc witnessed around 65,000 students across schools in Bengal being engaged in the riveting competition. The response at every stage has been nothing short of overwhelming and I congratulate all the participating institutions and the eventual winners. We are very proud to contribute to the development of the student fraternity and organize an event of such magnitude for 17 years. We hope to return with an even bigger format in the years to come.”
