Srinagar, July 12 -- By Syed Sammar Mehdi

The mist had not lifted off Apharwat peak when the first spade broke the ground.

A man who spends his weeks checking hotel bookings knelt in the mud and pressed a young sapling into the earth with both hands, the way a father might tuck a child into bed.

Around him, dozens of others did the same.

A police officer laughed as soil flew onto his uniform. A judge rolled up his sleeves and got to work without a word about rank or protocol.

This was not a rally. Nobody made speeches into a microphone for very long. People simply worked, row after row, until the meadow below the peak wore a fresh line of green stitched into its brown.

The drive was part of Go Green Gulmarg, an ongoing initiative of...