Hunt for treasure in India’s diamond city of Madhya Pradesh

“I feel sick if I don’t send the 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 the Panna region.

Pana is among the most backward regions in the country – its residents face poverty, water scarcity and unemployment. But it is also home to many of India’s diamond deposits and remains a prime spot for diamond hunters.

Although most mines are owned by the federal government, state officials lease small portions of land to prospective miners each year for small amounts. This region has the country’s only diamond mine.

However, once known for its large and rare finds, the Panna diamond mines are now extinct. Its reserves have been depleted by over-mining over the years.

Despite this decline, hopeful miners continue their search.

They must take what they find to the Government diamond office, which is the one that examines the stones and sells them at auction.

After fees and taxes are deducted, the proceeds are returned to the miners, a bitter reward for their tireless mining.

Mr Sharma says he started digging for diamonds in 1974, right after finishing school, following in the footsteps of his father who was once a famous diamond hunter in his area.

He immediately hit the jackpot after finding a six-carat diamond, which was worth a fortune 50 years ago.

He says that made him want to keep looking for more.

“I wanted to continue doing this instead of getting a low-paying government job,” he said.

Mr Sharma is among thousands of men – young and old – who spend their days in the mines, hoping to strike it rich and escape the cycle of poverty.

The miners started digging for stones early in the morning. Then wash them, dry them and sift through them looking for diamonds until the sun goes down. Their families help them in their work.

It is physically demanding work – but for the people of Panna, it is a deep part of their lives, conversations and hopes for a better future.

For many, diamond hunting is a family tradition passed down from generation to generation.

Shyamlal Jatav, 58, comes from such a family. His grandfather started the job 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 in those days, they did not sell much.

But things have changed now, as some of these stones sell for tens of millions of dollars.

Raja Gound is among the lucky few. A hard-working laborer, he was deep in debt when he found the massive 19.22-carat diamond in July.

He sold the diamond at a government auction for around 8m rupees ($95,178; £72,909).

Mr Gound said he has been leasing mines for more than ten years in the hope of finding diamonds.

India has always played a major role in the diamond industry. For more than 3,000 years, it was the only source of diamonds in the world.

This changed in the 18th century with the discovery of Brazil and South Africa.

But Panna’s legacy as a diamond hub has endured.

The Majhgawan district mine, run by the state-run 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 produced more than 1.3 million carats of diamonds.

Although anyone can mine Panna diamonds – that too at a cheap price – many hunters avoid taking the legal route of selling their treasure.

Several residents told BBC Hindi that there is a large market for illegally mined diamonds – but exact figures for the trade are unknown.

A black market trader who did not want to be identified said people illegally sell their earnings to avoid taxes and ensure prompt payment.

“If they go through official channels, they only earn when the diamond is sold at auction, which can take years sometimes,” he said.

Ravi Patel, Panna mining chief, says the authorities have taken measures to stop illegal sales but it is difficult to follow them because most of the diamonds mined are small and do not fetch high prices.

Officials admit that the number of diamonds placed in government auctions has decreased.

In 2016, the office found 1,133 diamonds, but the numbers will drop to 23 by 2023.

Anupam Singh, a government diamond inspector in Panna, says restrictions on mining are the reason for the decline.

“The forestry department has identified important areas and made them places where diamond hunters can go,” said Mr. Singh.

There are more than 50 tigers living in the Panna Tiger Reserve and the government’s recent efforts to save its population have brought many challenges to the miners.

Diamond miners who have worked in forested areas, including protected nature reserves, are not allowed to mine there and risk facing severe penalties if caught.

But despite the hardships and challenges, thousands of men continue to work in the shallow mines, hoping to shake off their fate.

Prakash Majumdar started digging for diamonds in 2020 after the Covid-19 lockdown took away all labor and farming activities in his hometown.

Desperate and struggling to support his family, Mr Majumdar found his first diamond worth 2.9 million rupees within a month of mining.

A lot has changed since then – his family has moved to a concrete home and he has become the elected head of the village.

However, his quest for more continues.

“Diamond hunting will always be part of my life and I’m not going anywhere until I get rich,” he said.