Almora: The City

I am not going to go into the history of the city, because I think I still have a lot to read about it to write about it. So this blog will be more about the city I have lived in, and my experience so far.

Let me start from the beginning. So when I entered the SWAR Fellowship, I built an image of my work location, which will be a small village of 150-200 people, with a limited power supply and maybe a small well or handpump for water supply. This image was limited in resources because that’s what I used to think about the rural intervention areas in India, especially in the remote parts of the country.

Old shops
Cut to Almora city, my actual project location. Here I have 24*7 power supply, the population is 35,000+ (as per 2011 census), 3 malls, in a 5 kilometre range, with 2 cinema halls, all the district administrative offices from the District Magistrate office to District Court, everything is within the distance of 5-7 kilometres. The room rent here is almost parallel to Delhi, it depends on the closeness to the market. The closer to the market, the higher the rent is.

District public library
Almora city is a bit expensive compared to Delhi; all the cosmetic and medical items are available here at MRP. Some have a different MRP for the hills, which is 5-10 Rupees more than the plains. Almora really tested my bargaining skills; getting discounts in Delhi was a normal thing for me, but here in Almora, if I am getting a discount of even 10 rupees, then it is an achievement.

Shortcut stairs in the market area
Almora is called the cultural city of Uttarakhand. Almora was a hot spot for the meetings of the freedom fighters and the publication of nationalist papers during the Independence Movement. Nehru spent almost 2 years of his jail term in 1934-35, her in the Almora jail..

Late evening view of the Almora city
The old market road of Almora, above the mall road, has shops as old as the 1940s; currently the 4th generation is running the shop. There are lots of old architectural houses with traditional Kumaoni colors and architecture, and the market itself tells its story, which I find very peaceful detailed.

Market of Almora
The famous Khim Singh Mohan Singh sweets shop is there at the mall road, you buy any sweet, it costs rupee 400/kg. The Bal Meethai and Singhori are the most selling products.

Almora is emerging as the educational hub of Kumaon; students from nearby districts like Pithoragarh, Nainital, and Champawat come here for higher studies, mainly in S.S. Jeena University. Here, there is a medical college as well, a relatively new one.

University College Gate

Almora as a city is relatively stable in terms of natural hazards, in the process of becoming even larger city, lots of new construction is going on, more people are coming to the city in search of education and jobs. As the months have passed, my idea of remoteness has changed significantly. And I hope with the information I have given you, yours will as well.