The venue: Eagle Film Studio in Noida Film City. The date: January 30, 2005. The occasion: filming of the finals of the second series of BBC World?s University Challenge (UC).

If the quizmaster is the man behind Kaun Banega Crorepati and the channel is the one that beamed Mastermind, another quiz show from this combo raises a lot of expectations. And the finals of UC fulfilled all of them.

Battling it out were four-member teams from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode, and Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT), New Delhi, with the grand old (okay, not quite) man of Indian television quizzing, Siddhartha Basu in the middle. If the earlier performances of both teams were an indication, the contest promised to be a scorcher from the beginning.

To make the occasion even more special, present on the sets as chief guest was Pandit Ravi Shankar with wife Sukanya. ?I love quiz shows,? smiled the 85-year-old sitar maestro prior to the shoot.

?I would watch both Kaun Banega Crorepati and Mastermind as often as possible and I?m particularly amazed at the knowledge of youngsters,? he added.

As the clock ticked towards 3 pm, the last-minute activities picked up pace. Make-up for the teams (much to some of the all-male contestants? consternation) and for the quizmaster, running the live audience through its queues and list of do and don?t, taking Ravi Shankar through his paces? the checklist was long.

Some of the contestants oozed confidence, some were all concentration while others had nervousness written all over their faces. ?Go for it but don?t lose your cool,? was Basu?s advice to them, as he met the teams.

Soon, it was lights, camera and action and the kick-start of the University Challenge finals.

Speed is one of the key factors for University Challenge. Unlike other quizzes, where the questions may have to be worked out, this one?s all about recalling the right answer in an instant and hitting the buzzer. Both teams seemed to be in top form, tackling the toughest of questions in a snap.

Topics covered subjects as varied as space exploration, mythology, sports, music? and a lot more. IIM picked up the lead early on, staying ahead by 30 to 45 points.

It was only quite late in the game that NSIT struck back, inching narrower and narrower till they bridged the gap. Even more twists and turns later, NSIT eventually emerged champs.

Abhishek Dimri, K. K. Mukund, Anish Johnson and NSIT captain Rohan Murarka (in picture above), all BE students, punched the air and hugged each other as the contest came to a close. ?We have been quizzing for a while but for the finals, we divided up subjects amongst ourselves and really studied,? Rohan disclosed later.

University Challenge is not about gift hampers and cash prizes. It?s a simple trophy, but held in high esteem in the quizzing circuit for the prestige it carries.

Receiving the honours from Ravi Shankar was equally special for the teams. ?In earlier days, learned men would travel to different kingdoms and challenge the wise men of the land in battles of knowledge and wit. I see a reflection of that tradition in a quiz contest like this,? Shankar said, congratulating both teams on their performance.

Catch all the action on BBC World tonight at 10 pm, with a repeat showing on February 13, 10 am.