Srinagar, Nov. 18 -- Kashmir has always leaned on community for strength. People gathered over warm meals, traded stories in living rooms, supported each other in difficult times and created space for comfort. This season feels different.

Weddings stay crowded, funerals draw lines of people and markets stay active. But the mood inside these gatherings tells a different truth.

Conversations fade, people arrive late and leave early, and faces look tired even in celebration.

A social freeze is visibly settling over the valley. It shows up in homes, courtyards and public spaces. Years of stress feed it. Families deal with rising medical bills, winter expenses and coaching fees. Young people carry pressure from studies, long commutes and u...