Srinagar, April 10 -- ByHaziqah Showkat

The old city of Srinagar hums with afternoon activity. Narrow alleys near Khanyar fill with vendors selling boiled beans and fried snacks. Within a wood-paneled office above a fabric shop, Ghulam Hassan sorts through worn dairies.

These notebooks contain 15 years of marriage proposals. His fingers trace columns marked with names, ages, and professions.

Today, he stops longer at entries listing government salaries or corporate positions. The pages marked "homemaker" gather dust on the shelf.

"Families now open discussions with salary questions," Hassan explains, stirring tea in a chipped ceramic cup. The spiced drink sends steam into the cold air. "Character and education matter greatly, but the ...