Even familiarity with Dharamshala’s cosmopolitan culture and diverse international population may not prepare one for a Japanese ‘babaji’, equipped with a laptop, running the affairs of an old, revered Hindu temple, which has a Wi-Fi connection. When he is done with his duties as the head priest, the ‘Japani Babaji’, as he is affectionately known, teaches his followers computers. The leitmotif of his preaching is that salvation lies in using technology to gain knowledge and improve one’s life.

But here in Dharamshala, no one bats an eyelid. Thanks to two Israelis — Yahel Ben David, a Silicon Valley technocrat who sold his start-up before coming to Dharamshala in the late 1990s, and Michael Ginguld, an Ivy League scholar who has worked with international developmental agencies —- the town now has a low-cost Wi-Fi network spread over 70 acres, more than 7,000 ft above sea level.

Praise has come in thick and fast from the likes of Vic Hayes (widely accepted as the founder of Wi-Fi networks) and Richard Stallman (free software evangelist).

The progress has been difficult. Until about two years back, internet connectivity here was erratic, slow and didn’t always reach villages perched on hill tops. Now, the 50-node wireless mesh network interconnects around 2,000 computers. Apart from dependable broadband internet access, it provides for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone services, video conferencing, off-site backups and playback of videos from remote archives.

Run from a room in a local school for Tibetan children, by a core team of around 11 people, the network was started by the non-profit Air Jaldi in February 2005, shortly after the Indian Government deregulated Wi-Fi. Ben David and Michael Ginguld are the Chief Technological Officer and Chief Executive Officer respectively of Air Jaldi.

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