Srinagar, Aug. 7 -- He borrowed Rs.8 lakh from a bank and another Rs.2 lakh by pawning the only gold left in the family. The flowers faded in two days, the band stopped playing by midnight, the guests left full. But the bills stayed.

He now pays back Rs.16,000 each month from his Rs.34,000 salary. With no savings left, stress has taken over his life. "I had to," he said, with a hint of guilt. "If I hadn't, people would've said I didn't do enough for my daughter."

That sentence, heard in different forms across Kashmir, is driving families to the edge.

In village after village, town after town, people are taking loans to meet expectations they didn't create, and can't afford.

A modest household in Kashmir now feels compelled to serve tw...