Srinagar, Aug. 27 -- By Khalid Nabi

In 2005, in Gevas, a district in eastern Turkey, a shepherd watched a sheep step toward the edge of a cliff.

The animal went over. Then another followed, and another.

Soon the flock had become a procession toward the drop. About 1,500 sheep eventually plunged from the cliff, following the animal ahead of them.

The image resonated with me because something of that instinct can be recognised in Kashmir, where imitation has become a powerful force in both economic life and the way young people imagine their futures.

A successful idea rarely remains singular for long. Once somebody finds a formula that appears to work, others often reproduce it before asking whether the same conditions exist for them....