Srinagar, May 12 -- I stood in Ghulam Mohammad's workshop in Shehr-I-Khaas, Srinagar's ancient core, as his hammer struck a copper tray. The clang, sharp and alive, filled the tiny room.

Over months studying Kashmir's crafts, I'd grown to love that sound. But Ghulam's scarred hands and weary eyes told a different story.

"Machines make this in hours," he said, pointing to a cheap jug. "Mine takes a week. Who buys it?"

His question hit me hard, a warning of what's slipping away in this historic neighborhood.

For two years, I roamed Shehr-I-Khaas as an ethnographer, drawn to its coppersmiths, shawl weavers, and woodcarvers. I wanted to learn their art. Instead, I found artisans on the brink, fighting machines, greed, and a generation's a...