Gauchar (Gochar): A Town Surrounded By Rolling Hills

The pictures shows one of the fields of Gauchar and is . The river is Alaknanda. Gauchar is in Rishikesh-Badrinath highway in Chamoli District, Uttarakhand, India. This photo was taken uphill in October 2012. 

Fields of houses along Badrinath highway crowd this part of the small town of Gauchar. This place is busy, busiest during Yatra season. Facilities include GMVN, which is located just right next to the highway before GREF chowk, two ATMs (one of Central Bank of Asia and State Bank of India), Government Hospital (as of now, there is an MBBS contract doctor running it, along with its staffs, of course), Schools and Inter-College Institutions, Post Office and First Flight Couriers. There are a few grocery stores, tea shops and small, cheap hotels along the road. Internet cafe is also available. The sources of living among people here include farming, cattle raising, government employment, and businesses.

With quite a number of population it's no wonder that there is almost always a water shortage anywhere. Electricity comes and goes also, especially during rainy days.  Gauchar is no exception.

If not for its people's apathy towards cleanliness and environment preservation and protection, Gauchar would have been a beautiful place in the hills, and so would others. So for us, here we come, in no time from here we go to a new land. We are just passersby.