Persever ance is the key to success, it is said. This quote perfectly fits Aayush Parool kar, a Goan student from Navy Children’s School, who recently mastered the nation al-level Master Spell ers 2025-26 Finals held in Vadodara, in the Zeta (Grades 9 & 10) category, after be ing unable to compete last year despite quali fying for the finals. “I feel ecstatic to have won an award in an all-India spelling com petition. This achievement means a lot because it has helped me understand my potential and has given me a lot of confidence. It has also added many words to my vocabulary, which I will definitely use going forward. I had applied for Master Spellers last year and qualified for Round 1 of the finals, but I couldn’t appear for it. So this year, I wanted to see how far I could go, and I am so happy that I won,” Aayush said. Organised in collabora tion with Oxford University Press in Vadodara, Master Spellers is one of India’s leading Spelling Bee and English language compe titions. The finals of the 2025-26 season were held on May 3 and brought to gether nearly 300 final ists from schools across the country, celebrating excellence in spelling, vo cabulary, comprehension, articulation, and language proficiency.
Speaking about the role of his parents and school in his success, Aayush said, “My school provided me the opportunity to com pete, and I am thankful to my principal, Anupama Mehra, for introducing us to various competitions and extra-curricular activi ties that give us opportuni ties to improve our portfo lios and earn certifications. I am also really thankful to my parents and my grand mother, who gave me im mense support and truly believed in me,” he said. Speaking about his preparations, the young boy said that a spelling competition does not re quire extensive prepara tion. “You just need to be a keen reader and have the hunger to learn new words and apply them in your daily life. I would like to try for the IELTS test next, as it will provide many inter national opportunities. I would also like to take part in Master Spellers next year in the next age-group category,” the young cham pion said. His mother, Shradha Paroolkar, encouraged parents to let their chil dren participate in such competitive events, saying it makes them more con fident and prepares them for the future. “There is so much more to learn, and platforms like Master Spellers provide wonderful opportunities to hone interpersonal skills and develop a com petitive spirit in children,” she said. Principal Anupama Mehra said that when Master Spellers was first introduced in the school a couple of years ago, there were very few takers. Gradually, however, stu dents developed a keen interest in it because of the fun element attached to the competition. Lauding Aayush’s victory, she said, “Winning at the national level in the Zeta category is very encour aging. Academically too, he is very strong, so it was not surprising that he won the competition. Aayush has put our school on the national map. We are very proud of him.” Founder and CEO of Mas ter Spellers, Sharmishtha Chawda, said that 1,000 students from across India participated in the competi tion, with 300 reaching the finals. “The final round had 40 students in each category competing at the most dif ficult level, where the ‘Spell the Word’ round was con ducted in a knockout for mat. Aayush participated in the Grades 9 and 10 catego ry and won the champion ship from among 1,000 stu dents in this group, which is a remarkable feat,” Chawda said.
