Q. Spell success.
A. S-U-C-C-E-S-S
Q. What is a definition of success?
A. North South Foundation

Burr Ridge, IL:  A cup of ideas, a tablespoon of dedication, and a dash of technology, stirred by thousands of volunteers has brewed a pot of sweet success for Chicago based non-profit North South Foundation (NSF), which promotes academic excellence amongst underprivileged children in India by providing scholarships, and amongst American children of Indian descent in the United States through annual educational contests.

Recent successes of NSF children such as the newly crowned prince of spelling, Sameer Mishra - the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee, collectively highlight the ways in which NSF has impacted the Indian community over the past 20 years, and the  accomplishments of Indian immigrants through dedication, involvement and compassion.

NSF was founded in 1989, by Ratnam Chitturi, to provide scholarships to promising, but underprivileged students in India. Promoting excellence in education, developing human resources, eliminating lack of money as a barrier to excel, helping people achieve success regardless of their background were the ideals upon which the organization was founded.

Nearly 17 chapters throughout the far reaches of India annually invite applications from college-bound students who are from the underprivileged families and select the most eligible students for the scholarships after rigorous screening. To date, NSF has awarded over 3,500 scholarships (worth $250 each) to students in fields as diverse as engineering, medicine, 3-year polytechnic and general sciences.

What makes NSF unique is that it is the single most expansive organization in the US dedicated to promoting education both among its ethnic demographic in the US as well as in the mother country.

As a vehicle for improving language skills of American children of Indian descent, NSF started spelling contest in 1993 and vocabulary contest in 1994.  Murali Gavini, who introduced these contests to NSF, was the source of inspiration to both parents and children.

Today, through its 70 centers allover the US and more than a thousand volunteers, NSF conducts regional contests during March-May of each year in spelling, vocabulary, math, geography, essay writing, and public speaking.  In 2008, over 8,300 contestants registered in various categories – the highest ever regional participation. The National Finals in Boston this year will draw 900 participants and their families to MIT during Labor Day weekend in September.  These educational contests also serve as the primary source of fundraising for India scholarships, making it another unique feature of the organization.  One unintended byproduct of the educational contests is that these events serve as excellent networking grounds for several very likeminded children and parents of Indian Origin. Relations and friendships built last for lifetime and the benefits extend well beyond academic pursuits.

NSF is not a talent search organization, but is run entirely by volunteers with a goal to help improve every child’s learning experience.  Parents are provided with educational resources posted on its website.  The workshops that NSF introduced to help children prepare for the contests have become very popular among children and parents.  NSF has also designed online games as additional tools for children to practice at home.  

NSF contests have literally served as the training ground for Indian children in the US, contributing to their success in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the National Geography Bee, the National Vocabulary Championship, to name a few.  Additionally, these contests contribute to children’s academic excellence as evident by high scores in the standardized entrance exams like SAT and ACT and admissions to prestigious universities as well as careers in Fortune 500 companies.

For example, in 2008, of the 287 spellers that qualified for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, 36 children were of Indian origin, most of them NSF bee participants. Of the 45 semi-finalists, 11 were of Indian origin.  Of the 12 finalists, 5 were of Indian origin.

With 16 years of experience, NSF has demonstrated that with consistent hard work, even ordinary children can do extraordinary things in life.  For example, Hirsh Sandesara, Kamran Riaz and Prem Trivedi were the first time participants in the NSF spelling bee when they were 6 to 8 years old in 1993.  They were no child prodigies at that time.  Today, Hirsh works at McKinsey, the world premier management consulting firm.  Prem is a Fulbright Scholar.  Kamran is going to be an Ophthalmology resident at North Western this summer.  Sai Gunturi, NSF participant and national winner became Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion in 2003.  Samir Patel, another NSF participant and a junior national champion at the tender age of 7 years, became an International celebrity after he got 3rd rank at Scripps at the same time.  Rajiv Tarigopula won 4th rank at Scripps and earned the hearts of all participants.  Suneil Iyer won 4th rank at the National Geographic Bee in 2006.

NSF is truly exhilarated by these success stories and humbled by the small yet significant contribution it has made toward encouraging academic excellence.

While the popularity of NSF contests has steadily increased since 1993 empowering over 40,000 participants to excel in education, key benefits in participation consist of enhanced stage presence and improved public speaking and writing skills among others. Through the bees, NSF hopes to motivate every child to work to their potential. Bee winners are definitely applauded, but Ratnam Chitturi stresses that every participant is a winner because of their competitive spirit and desire to learn.

Building on its ideals, NSF provides opportunities for its young contestants to give back to the community through volunteering for the organization. NSF alumni have served as pronouncers, judges, contest coordinators, even chapter coordinators, unleashing their leadership skills. To motivate youth and instill a sense of philanthropy, Madhavi Nathan Oliver, a NSF volunteer initiated a program known as Dollar-A-Square (DAS), where children canvass their neighborhoods and friends for filling a sheet of 100 squares with a one dollar per square donation.  Through the DAS program, children have collected funds to give out 33 India scholarships over the years.

To help showcase human values, NSF instituted a Role Model award program in 2003. The inaugural Role Model award was given to Rajiv Vinnakota, founder of SEED Foundation, in 2003 and to Nipun Mehta, founder of Charity-Focus, in 2004.

Former NSF scholars have begun to give back as well.  Surya Padala, one of the first recipients of NSF scholarships in India, has started his own NGO, which currently supports one hundred poor, but meritorious children pursuing post high school studies in Andhra Pradesh.  Tridib Kumar Roy started to follow the pattern of Surya by helping poor children in West Bengal.   Similarly Sashikran Tadas, Siva Poreddy, Raghavendra R, Durga Devi M, Manjunatha K, Subbarao Ponduri, Mallikarjun G and many others are contributing their time and money towards furthering the activities of NSF.

The technologically savvy and environmentally friendly NSF has built a scalable IT model, which enables volunteers to use virtual offices and to attend virtual team meetings, while automating most of the functions online.   Contest registrations are done online, eliminating needless paperwork.  Even the bi-monthly newsletter, with over 5,000 readers, is electronic. All this clearly demonstrates the commitment of an Indian community to collaborate and find unity in diversity while serving the many noble causes of the organization.

NSF hopes to eventually conduct volunteer supported contests in India so that Indians can enjoy some of the same benefits as their American counterparts. For further information about the Foundation, readers can visit www.northsouth.org or contact Dr. Ratnam Chitturi at chitturi9@gmail.com or 630-323-1966.

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