Reality TV star studies engineering

The winner of an Indian reality TV show has received a GBP 80,000 four-year scholarship to study engineering at the University of Warwick.

The winner of an Indian reality TV show has scooped a four-year scholarship to study engineering at the University of Warwick.

Arvind Aradhya - an 18-year-old from Bangalore - is the first winner of Scholar Hunt: UK, a programme run by NDTV.

The youngster beat 14,000 other hopefuls to the top spot, after an online general knowledge quiz, engineering exams, a televised interview, a TV quiz and practical 'scrapheap challenge'.

Arvind said: "I feel very privileged to have won".

"Several of my friends also entered, but they fell by the wayside".

"This gives me the opportunity to study abroad, as well as attend such a well-respected institution".

"I never considered Warwick before as I could not have afforded this".

He was revealed as the winner on prime-time Indian TV on Saturday 18th August 2007.

University spokesperson Richard Fern said: "Maintaining standards was our first priority".

"Arvind's abilities far exceed our normal entry qualifications".

"Warwick only takes the brightest and the best - Arvind is certainly both of these".

"Scholar Hunt was more 'Academic Apprentice' than Big Brother".

"We maintained control throughout the programme - it was essentially a televised recruitment process".

"The exams were particularly tough with our Professors setting fiendishly difficult problems that even they struggled to answer".

Arvind will receive a full scholarship for his four years of study.

This will cover living and accommodation expenses as well as his course fees.

The scholarship will total GBP 80,000.

This is the first such show, with the University of Warwick seeking to raise its profile in the key foreign market.

Warwick is one of four British Universities which maintains full-time representatives in India.

Several of its alumni are now leaders of Indian commerce and industry, and Professor Lord Bhattacharya has nurtured key links with multi-national giant Tata which currently linked with Jaguar and LandRover.

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