In the early morning of a cold winter day in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, Satish Khatik, 24, and Sajid Mohammed, 23, were diligently digging on a small plot of land they had jointly leased in late November. Suddenly, the earth revealed a sparkling object.

Upon taking the stone to the Panna Diamond Office for appraisal, the two friends were overjoyed when expert Anupam Singh confirmed it was a natural diamond, weighing 15,34 carats.

"The market value of the stone is estimated to be between 5 to 6 million rupees. It will soon be put up for auction," Anupam Singh stated.

Satish Khatik (right) and Sajid Mohammed proudly display their diamond. *Times of India*

Satish and Sajid, close friends, grew up in poverty. Satish earned a living from a small meat stall, while Sajid sold fruit as a street vendor. Both are the youngest sons in their families, carrying heavy financial burdens.

Panna is a region renowned for India's largest diamond reserves, yet many residents still live in poverty and face water scarcity. Leasing small plots of land at low prices from the local government to mine for diamonds is a common practice. However, most individuals return empty-handed after their efforts.

Sajid shared, "My family has been digging on these lands for generations. My father and grandfather spent decades searching but never found anything beyond dust and fragmented quartz." Nafees, Sajid's father, emotionally remarked that "the gods finally rewarded our patience and hard work."

According to regulations, the state government will auction the diamond in the next quarterly sale, an event expected to attract numerous traders from across India and internationally. After a 12% deduction for taxes and resource fees, the remaining amount will be transferred to the two young men.

Despite the prospect of receiving a substantial sum, the two friends are not planning to buy houses or cars. Instead, they prioritize funding the weddings of their sisters, a significant and costly cultural responsibility in India that they had previously only dreamed of fulfilling.

Ravi Patel, the district mining official, described the discovery as a "rare stroke of luck." While many people spend their entire lives searching without success, Satish and Sajid transformed their lives in less than three weeks of digging.