Mumbai : Fifty thousand students sat for this common entrance test. It was conducted at 91 centres, with 446 schools sending their students to compete. The majority of candidates was from rural backgrounds. And the prize for those who cleared the test was not admission to a fancy medical college or engineering institute, but a chance to visit a house on a hill � Rashtrapati Bhavan.

It all started when Prabodhan, an NGO in Jalgaon, the hometown of President Pratibha Patil, came up with a bright idea � why not take a group of students from the region to meet their President on Children�s Day ?

Since choosing from among the 50,000 students in the region was no easy task, the NGO, promoted by a former Shiv Sena member Jaiprakash Baviskar, decided to conduct a talent hunt. Accordingly, a test was conducted at 91 centres in the first week of October. �The response was massive. A record number of students from 446 schools appeared for it. The test was a mix of objective questions and some which required longer essay-type answers to test the students� understanding of history and their general knowledge. We selected 1,000 students on the basis of their marks,� Baviskar told TOI.

The children headed for Raisaina Hill are between 12 to 15 years. One-third of them are girls. There are a number of handicapped students as well. "When we discussed the proposal with the President, she immediately agreed to spare at least one hour on November 14 to interact with the students. During the meeting, the students will pledge to protect the environment and nature," he said.

Once the selection round was over, the next hurdle was transport arrangements. Industrialist Bhavarlal jain agreed to bear the students travel expenses via a special train, the Jain Irrigation Dream Express, that will arrive in Delhi on Tuesday morning. The Jalgaon version of Hogwarts Express was festooned with portraits of Gandh, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Nehru and Bhagat Singh and featured scenes from the freedom struggle. Another local industrialist sponsored new uniforms for the students, who will be accompanied by 100 teachers.

"We will be in New Delhi on November 14 and back in Jalgaon the next day. For the students the visit is completely free. It will give them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit Rashtrapati Bhavan and meet the first woman President of India," said Baviskar.