Srinagar, June 4 -- For generations, farmers in Kashmir knew when girdawari season came around.

A patwari would show up, usually with a notebook, sometimes with a helper, and walk the fields. They'd stop to ask questions, examine crops, check the irrigation source, and note who was cultivating what piece of land.

It was routine, but also reassuring. It meant their work was seen, and their rights were recorded.

Today, that ritual has mostly disappeared.

Instead of walking the land, many patwaris now complete the girdawari - the official crop and land possession record - from their office desks. They rarely visit the fields. They often don't talk to the cultivators. They fill in the forms anyway.

This change may sound like a small bure...