Meng Honors Bayside Spelling Bee Winner

A Bayside student who recently won the national Scripps Spelling Bee was honored Sunday by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, D-Flushing, and a Rego Park deli that added the youth’s name to its menu.

Arvind Mahankali, who lives in Bayside and attends M.S. 74, took first place at the spelling bee, which was held on May 30 in Maryland. The eighth grader, who once lived in the Forest Hills-Rego Park area, won the trophy after correctly spelling “knaidel,” a dumpling using matzo meal, egg and salt.

Last week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg honored Mahankali at City Hall and, on Sunday, Meng presented him with an American flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol in his honor.

“Only in Queens, the most diverse county in America, can an Indian-American kid win a national contest for correctly spelling the Yiddish word for matzo ball,” Meng said. “Arvind is an exceptional person who through hard work, determination and studying hard became the nation’s spelling bee champ.”

Meng met with Mahankali at Rego Park’s Ben’s Best Deli for a plate of knaidels. At that time, Jay Parker, the deli’s owner, unveiled a new line of  mini-knaidels named in the spelling bee winner’s honor.

Mahankali, who will attend Stuyvesant High School this fall and dreams of one day becoming a physicist, said he was overwhelmed by all of the honors that had been bestowed upon him during the past week.

“I’m very fortunate to receive this great honor,” he said. “As you may have guessed, ‘knaidel’ has become one of my favorite words.”

During the course of training for the spelling bee, Mahankali said he studied anywhere from 100,000 to 120,000 words. His favorite word he stumbled upon during the course of his practice is “sardoodledom,” which is a mechanically contrived plot structure or unrealistic characterization in drama.

Bhavani Mahankali, Arvind’s mother, said she was glad that her son won with a “food word” because those were his favorite.

“He loves food words,” she said. “He’d then ask if I could make them.”

Arvind’s brother, Srinath, 9, said he would give the spelling bee a shot when he enters fifth grade. But he was not as taken with food words as his brother.

“I’m a vegetarian, so it depends,” he said.