Storyville Season 18 Episode 19

The Himalayan Boy and the TV Set

Documentary which provides a vivid glimpse into a vanishing way of life in the Himalayas, as new technology extends its tentacles even into these remote regions. In 1999, the King of Bhutan made a landmark proclamation approving the use of television and the internet. The film begins at the end of this process as Laya, the last remaining village tucked away within the Himalayan kingdom, becomes enmeshed in roads, electricity and cable television. Through the eyes of Peyangki, an eight-year-old monk impatient with prayer and eager to acquire a TV set, the film documents the seeds of this seismic shift sprouting. During a three-day journey to the thriving capital of Thimphu, the young boy discovers cars and toilets in the search for the perfect television to bring back to the village. The trip enforces the sense that their tranquil village life is about to become extinct.