October 12th 2024.
Raju Gond, a hardworking father, has been struggling with a massive debt that has been weighing him down for quite some time now. It seemed as though there was no way out for him until a miraculous turn of events changed everything. While digging for gold with his brother in Madhya Pradesh, India, Raju stumbled upon a tiny gem that turned out to be worth a staggering amount of £78,000.
This unexpected discovery came as a shock to Raju, who earns a meager £3 a day. He wasted no time in rushing back home on his bike to fetch his mother and head to the local diamond office to get the precious stone evaluated. To their amazement, it turned out to be a 19.22 carat diamond. Raju recalls the moment when he first laid eyes on the glittering gem, "My heart was pounding, but I knew right away that it was a diamond. As I kept wiping off the dirt, it continued to shine brightly."
This valuable stone is expected to fetch around 8 million rupees in a government auction, a life-changing amount for a laborer like Raju who spends his days doing odd jobs just to make ends meet. Usually, Raju can be found driving a tractor for a wealthy farmer or working in the fields and diamond mines of the gem-rich district of Panna. It is a grueling job, but he does it with determination and hard work.
Raju and his brother couldn't contain their excitement and raced seven miles to tell their mother about their incredible find. It was a shallow mine that their family had leased, and this was not the first time someone had found something valuable in this part of India. For decades, diamond hunters have been flocking to Panna, also known as the "diamond bowl of India." Anupam Singh, a gold examiner, shared, "In 1961, a 54.55-carat diamond was found, and in 2018, a man from Bundelkhand stumbled upon a 42-carat diamond worth a fortune. And now, two brothers have discovered a precious stone."
The National Mineral Development Corporation of the government allows people to lease land and shallow mines for a nominal fee of a few hundred rupees, giving them a chance to strike it rich. Raju had been scavenging for diamonds for ten years and was currently digging in a mine in Krishna Kalyanpur, which his father had leased two months ago for a meager amount of £7.50. With agricultural and masonry work at a standstill due to the monsoon season, this seemed like a smart decision for their family of nineteen, who were struggling to make ends meet.
After his incredible find, Raju has set up a bank account and plans to use the money to pay off his debt of just over £4,600. This is something that would have taken him more than four years to pay off if he worked every single day. Diamond experts have estimated the rock to be worth nearly £78,000. This debt is a common problem faced by thousands of rural laborers in India, who often take out loans for basic needs like healthcare, education, dowries, or day-to-day expenses.
Raju is now waiting for the diamond officials to put his chunky diamond up for auction. The government takes a small percentage as royalty and tax, and the rest goes to him. After paying off the debt, Raju plans to use the money to take care of his family's needs. He says, "We will invest in the education of all the children, build houses, buy some land, and maybe even a tractor." The thought of having a better future for his family brings a smile to his face.
Feeling lucky, Raju was back at the mines the next morning, hoping to find another diamond in the dirt. He and his brother are determined to work hard and find a few more diamonds to improve their family's life. This remarkable story was first published on July 27, 2024, and has continued to inspire many others to never lose hope and keep working hard towards their dreams.
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