BBC hindi
Prakash Sharma has been mining diamonds for 50 years
“I feel sick if I don't look for diamonds. It's like a drug.
Prakash Sharma, 67, talks about diamonds with a passion that has defined his life for the past five decades.
A diamond hunter in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, he spends most of his day in the mines of Panna district.
Panna is one of the most backward regions of the country: its residents face poverty, water scarcity and unemployment. But it is also where most of India's diamond reserves are located and remains a top destination for diamond hunters.
While most mines are managed by the federal government, state authorities lease small plots of land to potential miners each year at nominal prices. The district has the only mechanized diamond mine in the country.
However, once known for its large and rare finds, the Panna diamond mines are now dilapidated. Its reserves have been depleted due to overmining over the years.
Despite this decline, the hopeful miners continue their quest.
They must hand over their finds to the government diamond office, which evaluates the stones and sells them at auction.
After royalties and taxes are deducted, the profits are returned to the miners, a bittersweet reward for their tireless efforts.
Mr Sharma says he started diamond digging in 1974, just after completing his studies, following in the footsteps of his father who was once a famous diamond hunter in his village.
He quickly hit the jackpot after finding a six-carat diamond, which was worth a fortune 50 years ago.
This, he says, fueled in him a passion to keep searching for more.
“I wanted to continue doing this instead of getting a low-paying government job,” he says.
BBC hindi
Diamond hunting is a family tradition passed down from generation to generation in Panna
Mr. Sharma is one of thousands of men – young and old – who spend their days in the mines, hoping to become rich and escape the cycle of poverty.
Miners start digging the gravel early in the morning. They then wash, dry and sift it for diamonds until sunset. Their families help them in their work.
It is a physically demanding task, but for the people of Panna, it is an integral part of their lives, their conversations and their hopes for a better future.
For many, diamond hunting is a family tradition passed down from generation to generation.
Shyamlal Jatav, 58, comes from one such family. His grandfather started this work and now his son continues it, balancing his studies while working part-time in the mines.
Mr. Jatav says his grandfather found many diamonds, but at the time they did not sell them for much.
But things are different now, with some of these stones selling for tens of millions of rupees.
Raja Gound is one of the few to have been lucky. A worker by trade, he was deeply in debt when he discovered a huge 19.22-carat diamond in July.
He sold the diamond at a government auction for around 8 million rupees ($95,178; £72,909).
Mr Gound said he had been leasing mines for more than 10 years in the hope of finding a diamond.
Getty Images
Miners spend more than 10 hours a day searching for diamonds in Panna mines
India has always played a key role in the diamond industry. For over 3,000 years, it was the world's only source of diamonds.
This changed in the 18th century with discoveries in Brazil and South Africa.
But Panna's legacy as a diamond hub has endured.
The district's Majhgawan mine, operated by the state-controlled National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), is the country's only organized source of diamond production.
NMDC began mining in 1968, and by 2024 it had extracted more than 1.3 million carats of diamonds.
Although anyone can mine diamonds in Panna – and that too at a cheap price – most hunters avoid taking the official route to sell their treasure.
Several residents told BBC Hindi that there was a large market for illegally mined diamonds – but exact figures for this trade are unknown.
One black market dealer, who wished to remain anonymous, said people were selling their finds illegally to avoid taxes and ensure prompt payments.
“If they go through official channels, they only get paid after the diamond is sold at auction, which can sometimes take years,” he explained.
Ravi Patel, head of Panna mines, says authorities have taken steps to combat illegal sales, but it is difficult to track them because most of the diamonds mined are relatively small and do not fetch high prices .
Officials admit there has been a decline in the number of diamonds deposited at government auctions.
In 2016, the office received 1,133 diamonds, but this figure fell to just 23 in 2023.
Anupam Singh, a government diamond appraiser in Panna, says restrictions on mining are behind the decline.
“The forest department has demarcated large areas, making them no-go zones for diamond hunters,” Mr. Singh said.
BBC Hindi
Panna women help their men mine diamonds
There are more than 50 tigers living in the Panna Tiger Reserve and the government's recent efforts to preserve their population have presented many challenges to the miners.
Diamond miners who once operated in forest areas, including the reserve's buffer zone, are prohibited from mining there and face severe penalties if arrested.
But despite the difficulties and challenges, thousands of men continue to work in the shallow mines, hoping to change their fate.
Prakash Majumdar started looking for diamonds in 2020 after the Covid-19 lockdown wiped out all farming and farming jobs in his hometown.
Desperate and struggling to feed his family, Mr Majumdar found his first diamond worth Rs 2.9 million less than a month after mining.
A lot has changed since then: his family has now moved to a concrete house and he has become the elected leader of the village.
Yet his relentless quest to learn more continues.
“Diamond hunting will always be a part of my life and I’m not going anywhere until I become rich,” he said.
