Mr. Iyer helped Arjun reset his phone, install a good antivirus, and report the banking fraud to the cyber cell. Luckily, the bank blocked the transaction in time.

Then Mr. Iyer showed him a better way. “See this?” he said, opening a legal streaming app. “For the price of one tea a day, you can watch Bigg Boss safely, ad-free, and without fear. It’s called a subscription.”

Dejected, he went to the town’s old librarian, Mr. Iyer, who also taught basic digital safety.

But there was a problem. Arjun’s family couldn’t afford a cable TV connection, and his old smartphone had very little data. Every time he tried to watch clips, his data would run out. Frustrated, he started searching for free ways to watch the show.