Kashmir’s New Money: Pomp, Prejudice, and Social Games

Class differences and social hierarchies are a feature of the human condition. But these get articulated in different expressions and idioms in different contexts. Kashmir is no different.

How, the question, do these differences and hierarchies manifest themselves here?

Teasing out an answer to this question calls for some context and a brief historical delineation.

Historically, Kashmir, to state the obvious has not been a ‘wealthy’ place. It was defined by poverty.

Going back a few decades or even centuries, land was central to the political economy of Kashmir. The Kashmiri ruling elite, mostly an intermediary class of various regimes that ruled Kashmir, were awarded land grants(jagirs) for their services. The rest of the populace was either the labouring classes or involved at vario