Srinagar, May 21 -- In the folds of South Kashmir, tucked between apple orchards and old boundaries that exist more in memory than on paper, two revenue officials decided they'd had enough of waiting.

The village they worked in hadn't seen a proper land settlement in years. Not unusual, really. Across India, especially in hilly or rural regions, land records are often a confusing mess - one that fuels family disputes, delays development, and sidelines the poor. But this patwari and girdawar, posted to a sleepy tehsil with no special funds, permissions, or staff, decided to do something rare: they rolled up their sleeves and fixed what they could.

They started small. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they set aside their routine tasks...