Workers have sex in open mines to find diamonds:Drag women, sprinkle cemetery water in search of treasure

The battle to extract diamonds in Panna is not limited to labour alone. In shallow mines, miners trying to strike luck also resort to rituals, superstition and strange practices. Under deeply held beliefs, everything from sexual rituals to the use of ash from cremation grounds is believed to help uncover diamonds. These practices are carried out only on Wednesdays and Sundays, and are considered highly effective. Experts, however, say there is no direct connection between such rituals and finding diamonds. A Bhaskar team visited one such mine and witnessed these practices first-hand. Here is a step-by-step look at these rituals 1. Protection from evil eye: Bones and torn shoes stand guard Pappu, a labourer from Chhatarpur, has been trying his luck in the mines of Hirapur with his family for the past six months. Before digging begins, miners believe it is necessary to seek permission from Mother Earth and Khetpal Baba. According to them, mines are under the shadow of the evil eye. If a mine is cursed, they believe the diamond sinks deeper into the ground or turns into soil. To prevent this, black cloth, torn shoes, herbs and animal bones are tied at the mine entrance. Pappu says diamonds are restless in nature and only stay with a person whose intentions are pure. If a snake is seen during digging or a bad dream is experienced, work is stopped immediately. This is considered a sign of misfortune or a warning from the guardian of the hidden treasure. 2. Physical relations at dawn: A way to awaken the earth’s energy Another belief involves couples having physical relations in the open mine. According to labourer Arvind Gond, if a husband and wife engage in physical relations at Brahma Muhurat — around 4 am — on the mining patch, it is considered auspicious and believed to awaken the earth’s power. 3. Cremation Ground Water and Spiritual Blessings The beliefs do not end there. Arvind says that on Sunday or Wednesday nights, after sunset, some people visit cremation grounds. They fill a clay pot with water there and sprinkle it five or seven times in the mine. It is believed that this brings blessings from spirits or ancestors and opens the path to hidden diamonds. 4. Dragging Women: A Painful Superstition Pramod Kumar Manjhi from Odisha has already spent ₹2 lakh in two months without finding anything, and says he too is being drawn into such rituals. According to him, in one painful practice, women are dragged by their feet inside the mine. They are dragged until they say: “Yes, you will find a diamond — you will definitely find a diamond.” It is believed these words turn into reality. Diamond: A confluence of hope and spirituality for laborers Diamond expert Anupam Sharma sees the matter from a philosophical perspective. He says: “From the point of view of science, a diamond may simply be a piece of carbon formed through geological activity. But for a worker in Panna, it is a meeting point of hope and spirituality.” After months of hard work with no result, miners begin to rely on fate, karma and rituals. They feel some invisible force stands between them and the treasure they seek. Expert says- This is psychological dependency Science offers a very different explanation. Geologist Dr D R Tiwari rejects these claims outright. He says: “A diamond is formed through a natural process and remains buried in the soil. It has absolutely no connection with rituals or superstition.” According to him, this is simply psychological dependency. He explains: “Just as we pick stones out of wheat, here too diamonds must be carefully picked from among pebbles and rocks. It is entirely a game of concentration and hard work. If you dig a 6×6 plot with full effort and carefully sort through the stones, finding a diamond depends on labour and probability — not on worship or rituals.”