For Arvind Aradhya (18) the grand prize was worth the effort — grilling aptitude and skills tests and hours of closed-door studio shoots. On August 18 in a special one hour programme telecast on the pan-India news television channel NDTV 24/7, Aradhya was announced winner (together with four others) of the NDTV Scholarship Hunt, Destination UK contest — a first-of-its-kind reality TV talent hunt. On offer were full-ride (fully paid) scholarships to five UK universities. The Bangalore-based Aradhya won a full scholarship (valued at £80,000 — Rs.64 lakh) to the four-year engineering degree programme of Warwick University.

With ad spots inviting entries repeatedly telecast on the NDTV bouquet of four television channels, the talent hunt attracted 14,000 entries from study abroad aspirants countrywide. The first elimination round comprised an online test with multiple-choice questions which tested contestants’ general knowledge. The 400 students who made it into the next round were tested in an exam modelled on the IIT-JEE entrance exam. Of them 20 including Aradhya were shortlisted for the final round.

“A panel of university representatives grilled us on the academic field we had chosen. We were grouped into four teams according to our subject specialisation and were put through a quiz and hands-on activity. The quiz and the interviews were telecast on NDTV 24/7. When you’re on national television, it’s not enough to be knowledgeable about your subject; you also have to be confident and self-assured,” says Aradhya who recently completed his Plus Two at the National Public School, Bangalore.

An active participant in quizzes conducted by the Karnataka Quiz Association and an avid reader of science fiction, Aradhya believes that “logical thinking and problem-solving abilities” helped him win this prized scholarship. “I’m an average student but what worked for me was that I always learn by understanding and experimentation,” he says.

All set to emplane to Destination Warwick, this articulate teenager has set his sights on qualifying as an astronaut. “Warwick will be a completely new learning experience and hopefully will sharpen my logical and critical thinking skills. But my long-term goal is to become an astronaut,” he says.

One can’t aim higher than that!

Joshua Muyiwa (Bangalore)