Arpit balabantaray
Arpit Balabantaray (a.k.a. Arpit Bala): The Immortal Witch of India Born 1842, Cuttack, British India - Present Day
Early Life & Awakening
Arpit Balabantaray was born in 1842 in Cuttack, Odisha, during the height of British colonial rule. His family, part of a clandestine sect of Odia mystics, practiced ancient rituals rooted in tantra, Ayurveda, and folk magic. His grandmother, a revered jhadin (witch-healer), recognized his sensitivity to the spirit world and trained him in secret. By age 12, Arpit could commune with local deities and manipulate herbs to cure-or curse.
The Immortality Pact
In 1857, amid the chaos of the Indian Rebellion, 15-year-old Arpit attempted a forbidden ritual to protect his village from British reprisals. Invoking the wrathful goddess Maa Mangala, he begged for power to shield his people. The goddess answered, but at a cost: immortality, tethered to a curse. Arpit's body ceased aging, but he became a vessel for restless spirits. To survive, he had to ritually "renew" his life every 50 years, shedding his identity like a snake's skin.
A Life of Shadows
• 1860s-1900s: Posing as a British-appointed clerk, Arpit used his position to sabotage colonial efforts to loot Odisha's temples. He adopted the anglicized alias "Arthur Bala" and forged documents to fake his death in 1898.
• 1910s-1940s: As Arjun Bhanja, a freedom fighter, he joined the Quit India Movement, using illusions to confuse British troops. His magic remained subtle-whispers inciting courage, herbs dulling enemy resolve.
• Post-Independence: Becoming Prof. Aryan Bal in the 1960s, he taught history at Delhi University, embedding occult truths in lectures about "mythology."
The Witch's Craft
Arpit's magic blends Odia folk practices with adaptive ingenuity. He crafts jadu (spells) from turmeric, neem, and monsoon rain, and bends mirrors to shapeshift his appearance. His immortality relies on a monthly ritual: bathing in saltwater under a new moon to cleanse his soul of accumulated spirits. Yet, the curse festers-he cannot form lasting bonds, as loved ones age and die, while spectral voices haunt his solitude.
Close Calls & Enemies
• 1891: A British occultist, Col. Reginald Thorne, uncovered Arpit's secret and tried to dissect him "for science." Arpit lured Thorne into a tiger-haunted forest, letting nature claim him.
• 1975: During the Emergency, a paranoid government agent nearly exposed him. Arpit faked a heart attack and reemerged as a Marwari businessman in Kolkata.
• 2000s: A tech-savvy witch hunter tracked his digital footprint, but Arpit countered by flooding the dark web with fake paranormal forums.
Modern Persona: The Anonymous Mystic
