INDIA: Panna district in Madhya Pradesh is one of the most backward towns in the region. Poverty-ridden and lacking in basic amenities like water and electricity, most of its residents are also unemployed.
Despite that, its residents are constantly hopeful of overnight wealth because the district is known for diamond reserves and is a popular destination for diamond hunters.
Dreaming of #diamonds: Generations dig for fortune in #India‘s gem town https://t.co/ofbVmziqCU
— Oden (@Gjallarhornet) October 14, 2024
BBC reports that the district has India’s only mechanized diamond mine. While most of the mines are managed by the federal government, the state leases out smaller portions of land to prospective miners yearly at low prices.
The mines in Panna, however, are run down and depleted from mining, though once upon a time, it was well known for its rare and big diamonds. Miners have not given up and continue digging for diamonds.
Prakash Sharma, 67, has been digging for diamonds since 1974, when he finished school. His father was also a diamond hunter.
His father once found a six-carat diamond worth a fortune 50 years ago, and ever since then, Sharma has been obsessed with digging for diamonds.
“I want to continue doing this instead of getting a low-paying government job,” he says. Sharma is one of thousands who spend their time at the mines, hoping to strike it big and hit the jackpot.
The miners start digging through gravel in the morning, then wash, dry and sift through it until sunset. Even their families help them in their work.
If they find diamonds, they must hand them to the government diamond office, selling them at an auction after evaluation. The sale proceeds are then given to the miners after deducting taxes and royalties.
Despite the hardship they endure, someone gets lucky every once in a while. Raja Gound is one such person, working as a labourer and deeply in debt; sometime in July, he mined a massive 19.22-carat diamond.
He sold it at an auction for eight million rupees. (USD$95,178).
Prakash Majumdar started looking for diamonds after he lost his job doing labour and farming work during the Covid-19 lockdown. Within one month of mining, he found his first diamond worth 2.9 million rupees.
That one diamond changed his life; his family now lives in a concrete house, where he has become the village head.
“Diamond hunting will remain a part of my life, and I will not go anywhere until I strike it rich,” he said.
Panna district’s Majhgawan mine, operated by the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), is India’s only source of diamond production.
NMDC began mining in 1968, and to date, it has pulled out 1.3 million carats of diamonds.