‘Our lives have changed forever’: Indian odd-job labourer unearths $134,000 diamond

A debt-ridden labourer in central India said his family’s life has been “changed forever” after he unearthed a 19.22-carat diamond worth almost US$100,000 (S$134,000).

Mr Raju Gond normally makes about US$4 a day taking whatever work comes his way to provide for his large family, working in fields or diamond mines in his home state of Madhya Pradesh, or as a tractor driver for a wealthier farmer.

But the 40-year-old and his younger brother Rakesh sometimes pay US$9.50 a day to dig for precious stones in a 64 sq m plot of government land.

And it was there on July 24 that he made his fortuitous find. After laying his hands on the stone, he said, his heart raced as he cleaned the dirt off it. With every stroke of his finger, the stone shone brighter and brighter.

“It shone spectacularly; I knew it was a diamond right then!” a delighted Mr Gond told CNN from his home in Panna district.

He and Mr Rakesh hugged and jumped in delight. They got onto their bike and hurtled 11km back home from the shallow mine in Krishna Kalyanpur to share the news with their family. They then went to the local Panna Diamond Office with their mother to have the stone evaluated.

Mr Anupam Singh, the official diamond examiner, weighed the diamond. “This is a white diamond of 19.22 carat,” he told CNN. It was valued at about US$95,500.

Mr Singh was quick to add that Panna is known for its rich diamond reserves. “In 1961, someone found a 54.55-carat diamond, then in 2018, someone found a 42-carat diamond, and now this,” he said, adding that smaller diamonds were also found earlier in 2024.

Mr Gond may have the weather to thank for his good fortune.

Two months ago, monsoon rain descended upon the region, washing away many work opportunities. Instead of sitting at home, the family felt compelled to search for diamonds.

“What we have to do is fill in a form, give identification proof, provide photos and pay 800 rupees (S$12.80) to the government,” Mr Gond explained. “When we are done searching there, we can apply again to search for diamonds on another patch of land.”

Mr Singh said the government leases shallow mines to families who want to look for the gemstones, under the supervision of local officials. The government takes an 11.5 per cent royalty for any find, plus a small tax, and gives the remaining amount to the person who found it.

The diamond office will wait for the value of its inventory to exceed US$360,000 before holding an auction, Mr Singh said, after which Mr Gond will receive his payout.

“Right now, we have diamonds worth half that amount,” he said.

Planning for the future

Mr Gond has opened a bank account and is eagerly waiting for the money to be credited. “Our lives have changed forever,” he said.

“The first thing I’ll do is pay back debt of (US$6,000). Then we will invest in all children getting educated, building homes, buy some land and maybe a tractor, too,” he said.

Lately, he said, it has been hard to make ends meet. His family includes his parents, wife, seven children, and the families of his younger brother and sister.

When he was growing up, his father and grandfathers would tell Mr Gond stories of people who had found diamonds in the soil, “and how the fate of the family had changed after that”. Today, he says, he has his own story to share.

And two days later, on July 26, the brothers were back at the mine.

“We woke up early and got out again,” Mr Gond told CNN. “We are already in the shallow mine. We will find more diamonds!” CNN