Editor’s Note
This remarkable story from India’s Panna region reminds us that fortune can appear in the most unexpected places. For Genda Bai, a routine trip to gather firewood led to the discovery of a life-changing diamond.
An Indian woman who earns a livelihood by collecting firewood had, by a sheer stroke of luck, her life transformed after she stumbled onto a diamond worth over $25,000 in the forest.
The incident took place Wednesday in the mineral-rich Panna region of India’s central state of Madhya Pradesh. The woman, identified as Genda Bai, discovered the precious jewel when she went to the forest to collect firewood Wednesday, Mint reported.
The diamond, which weighs about 4.39-carat, is set to be auctioned. It can fetch at least $25,182.20, according to local diamond experts.
The woman didn’t keep her find to herself as she submitted it to the government agency that supervises the export-import and auction of diamonds, Times Now News reported.
Genda Bai runs her household by collecting firewood and she occasionally works as a daily laborer. The woman, who has four sons and two daughters, said she was planning to use the money from the auction to build a house and marry off her girls.
Panna is a hub of diamond mining in India. The region, located over 350 kilometers from the state capital Bhopal, has reserves estimated to be containing precious stones worth millions.
Two months back, a farmer discovered an 11.8-carat diamond in the same region. Pratap Singh Yadav found the diamond while working on a leased mine and it fetched $74,910 in a government-held auction. Yadav said he would spend the money on the education of his children and setting up a business.
