Srinagar, July 5 -- For years, this would have seemed out of place. The rhythms of life here have been measured in orchards, saffron harvests, and the steady hands of carpet weavers.

But now, in the lanes where families once huddled around copper samovars, there is a new ritual unfolding: stocks, funds and charts. A language not native to these streets is slowly taking root.

It wasn't always like this.

For generations, Kashmiris trusted only what they could touch. Land, gold, the family shop passed down like an heirloom.

The stock market belonged to someone else, to those who lived in distant cities with glass towers and fast money. In the valley, the rules were different. Here, risk had a different weight.

That is why Faisal Ahmad's...