The village of Nandpur lay buried deep within the folds of the Pir Panjal range, cocooned by ancient forests that breathed with secrets older than time. Moss-covered roofs peeked out from between pine canopies, their stone walls bathed in the perpetual twilight of mist and shadow. The world outside seemed to forget Nandpur, and the villagers preferred it that way.
Aarav Mehra, a 28-year-old anthropologist from Delhi, first came across the name in a footnote of a colonial-era journal buried in the National Archives. The journal mentioned a tribe living in complete isolation, guided by rituals and oral traditions untouched by modernity. The anthropological allure was irresistible.
