Srinagar, May 16 -- I was recently on an academic visit to a small government primary school nestled in the hills of Budgam, my home district in Kashmir. It was meant to be a routine inspection, a check on foundational literacy and numeracy. I came in with a notebook, some questions, and, admittedly, a few assumptions. I left with something far deeper.

The first thing I noticed was an elderly teacher with a white beard, sitting comfortably on the floor with a group of tiny children. One leg stretched out, he looked like just another mystic figure in a meditative place.

I started asking the children questions about letters, numbers, shapes. To my surprise, they answered everything quickly and correctly.

Delighted, I looked at the teache...