Video: The man who brought the internet to remote Nepal
- Text by Adam White
Born and raised in the remote Nepalese village of Nangi, Mahabir Pun had to set out on a two-day hike whenever he wanted to read his emails. The neighbouring village of Pukhara was the closest place with access to the internet, so Mahabir made the voyage every month for six years, constantly pondering whether there was an easier way to get online. Help arrived after he sent an email to the BBC, asking whether his dreams of building a wireless network to connect Nangi to the rest of the world was a possibility.
The BBC News website subsequently picked up Mahabir’s story, and tech experts from around the world reached out to Mahabir to offer help. Using DIY technology he made and sourced himself, Mahabir was soon able to turn his dreams into reality, and forever alter his local community.
Directed by Clemens Purner, Hiking for Emails is a stirring, sumptuous short that tracks Mahabir’s journey to bring the tiny village of Nangi into the modern world. “Of course it did not only mean that I could check my emails now more conveniently,” Mahabir says at one point in the film. “It was the start of something much bigger.”
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
In photos: Black Texas life since emancipation
Kinship & Community — A new photobook and exhibition showcases the rich culture, history and community of African American folks in the Lone Star State, whose existence in the region predates colonial Britain.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Youthful joy & end-of-era poignancy at a London school prom
Leavers — For several years, Lewis Khan documented young people as they celebrated the last of their school days and the completion of their exams. The series is now collated in a new self-published photobook and short film.
Written by: Zoe Whitfield
Harry Gruyaert’s vintage, kaleidoscopic scenes of New York
A Sense of Place — For 50 years, the Belgian photographer and Magnum Photos member has been capturing NYC’s colourful chaos. A new photobook and exhibition showcase his unique, technicolour view of the city.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Inside Lower Duck Pond, the nicest town on the internet
/r/HaveWeMet — With a population of 2,500 and no fixed location, the subreddit is a space for roleplaying citizens to solve mysteries, host fictional events and ultimately connect. In an internet that’s often divided and toxic, Vicky Jessop hangs out in one of its most wholesome corners.
Written by: Vicky Jessop
A major Nan Goldin exhibition is coming to London
You Never Did Anything Wrong — Opening at the Hayward Gallery in November, the show will debut a new film from the artist and activist, alongside a slate of recent work.
Written by: Jack Dennison-Thompson
Sepia splashed memories of Britain’s ’90s squatting and free party scene
Bygones — Moving into a Hackney squat at the age of 19, Tom Hunter spent years living on London’s edges, while documenting the vibrant, creative community and culture that it enabled. Huck’s art director Sam White chats to him about the freedom that existed, the collectivism and what’s been lost over the decades since.
Written by: Samuel White
