Arun Dev Yadav

Great vocals, greater wait.

That was the story of Jamshedpur-based singer Arun Dev Yadav (23), till he won Bhojpuri channel Mahua’s Suron Ka Mahasangram, a musical reality show, beating 50,000 aspirants from Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

In the grand finale aired on Wednesday night, Arun pipped two rivals — Prateek Raj from Bihar and Kalpana from Uttar Pradesh.

The reality show had started in February.

Earlier, for five times, Arun had tried to make it to Indian Idol, Sony’s much-hyped musical reality show, and for another three times, to SaReGaMaPa, another high-octane talent hunt on Zee TV.

Every time, he couldn’t make it to the “theatre round”. But he didn’t lose hope.

Right now, the alumnus of Vidya Bharati Chinmaya Vidyalaya and PG commerce student of Jamshedpur Cooperative College, can’t believe his new-found celebrity status.

As a winner in one of the biggest regional shows — Mahua had mounted a lavish presentation with Bhojpuri superstars Manoj Tiwary, Kalpana Patowary and others — the youth is getting a fair share of praise, media attention and YouTube hits.

In a world where reality show winners allow the hype surrounding them to go to their head, Arun, who spoke to The Telegraph from Patna, is refreshingly modest.

“I’ve just won the title, thanks to my viewers’ votes, the blessings of my elders and support of my friends. I have a long way to go. The struggle is yet to start,” Arun, who did not sit for his Kolhan University postgraduation exams this year for the show, said.

At the same time, he dreams big. He wants to be a playback singer in Mumbai.

A student of Jamshedpur-based music mentor Anjan Das and the holder of Sangeet Bivakar from Bangiya Sangeet Parishad, Calcutta, Arun knows it is a tough job. His father, D.P. Yadav, is a sports teacher at Vidya Bharati Chinmaya Vidyalaya. Arun doesn’t have any godfather in the entertainment industry.

“It is my dream to sing for films. It is my passion. This title (winner of the reality show) has given me the confidence to prove myself,” he said.

The reality show was a great training ground, he thinks.

“I was Jharkhand’s only contestant to get a berth in the top 36 singers. But it was a roller-coaster ride. Sometimes I had the bulk of votes, sometimes I was in the danger zone. But I stayed positive as I had faced many rejections before this. I focussed on the positives, like the singing and voice modulation tips from stalwarts,” said the winner.

Maybe this very ability to stay grounded will take him far. Arun’s school principal Vipin Sharma certainly thinks so. “Arun is level-headed. May he emerge as one of the best singers of the country,” said Sharma.