Fremont 4th Grader Repeats As National Geography Bee Champion

FREMONT, CA — Shamik Mukherjee first discovered his passion for geography when he was six years old.

His father's Atlases and maps filled their home from a young age. Each week, a new National Geographic magazine was stuffed in their mailbox.

It's what inspired the fourth grader to begin studying geography formally when he was seven. By eight, he'd win his first National Geography Bee.

Last month, Shamik returned to the National Geography Bee finals seeking to defend his title.

After taking a small lead ahead of the final question, Shamik sat in his chair, leaning forward intently, surrounded by several other competitors his age seeking glory.

"The Sultanate of Dema was the first Sultanate established on this island, and its last major pre-colonial kingdom was the Mataram Sultanate, which invaded modern Surabaya. A major empire centered on this island was established. It is not Sumatra," the moderator asked the competitors.

Quick to the buzzer, one competitor responded, "Borneo!"

"It is not Borneo," the moderator said, before giving out a second hint.

"Java," Shamik responded.

"That's right," the moderator said as the room went into applause.

Shamik's chair burst backwards and onto the floor as the fourth grader jumped up in excitement. He'd just become a two-time champion.

"I love knowing about the world, all the different physical features of countries, the culture, their food, clothes, language, population, and history," Shamik, a fourth grader at Mission San Jose Elementary in Fremont, told Patch. "For me, reading is a constant source of entertainment."

An Intense Competition

Competitors never know what kind of questions they'll be asked, Shamik said.

As geography is an "enormous and vast subject," competitors have to study intensely, Shamik said.

"As soon as you enter the room, a nervous, uncertain atmosphere hangs over you," Shamik said. "If you don’t win this, then all the preparation was for nothing. If you do not get a question, it is frustrating."

The International Academic Competitions National Geography Bee contains multiple stages.

First, competitors must answer a 50-question multiple-choice test in 20 minutes. Those who advance go on to regionals, a three-round buzzer-based competition.

The final stage is the National Championships, which begins with a four-round buzzer game. It then advances into a three-round buzzer-based competition.

Shamik defeated more than 100 national qualifiers from across the United States before becoming a back-to-back champion.,

It also capped off a year-long run that included winning the Silicon Valley regional and interstate online tournaments, European Geography Champion, National Geographic Bowl Champion and seventh place at the National Science Bee.

"It feels amazing and rewarding," Shamik said. "After all the studying, you have finally reached your goal. It feels like everything was worth it."

Legacy

Already achieving great success at a young age, Shamik only wants to keep pushing and win more competitions. When it's all said and done, he wants to feel like he triumphed.

"My end goal is to win these competitions, and then go on to study in a good college, and eventually become someone revolutionary in a field that I enjoy," Shamik said. "After these competitions, I would love to further explore geography in my free time. I would like to travel around the world, to countries which I find interesting."

Like his accomplishments, his dreams are vast. Foreign service, diplomat, oil or gas engineer, maybe a doctor, Shamik isn't shutting down any possibilities.

When Shamik isn't training to be the best at geography, he's still just a kid navigating elementary school and enjoying his hobbies.

"Reading is probably my penultimate hobby, after geography," Shamik said. "I love reading Indian authors, like Rabindranath Tagore, R.K. Narayan, and Ruskin Bond. Some recent books I’ve read include 565: The Dramatic Story of Unifying India, Train to Pakistan, and Great Expectations. I also like to eat, especially Bengali food."