KURNOOL: It seems to be raining diamonds at times in Jonnagiri in Tuggali mandal in Kurnool district. For the lucky ones like Angadi Kashim, it is almost a case of rags to riches.
Kashim’s fortunes changed overnight with the chance finding of a diamond which has been reportedly sold for Rs 1.25 crore. Every year, as the first showers hit the lands, the crust of farmlands wash out, leaving behind a trove of shining stones. A revenue official said it was a hush-hush affair as buyers come from as far as Mumbai and Surat during the season to purchase these stones.
Jonnagiri, the corrupt form of Swarnagiri (Golden Mount), is a village in Tuggali mandal. Every year it is a ritual to sieve through the fields after the first showers. Shining stones in varying shapes and sizes erupt out of the earthen shield in their farms and make them rich overnight. However it is a game of chance, said Nagendra a local leader. It is only one in a thousand whom the lady luck smiles upon.
Diamond traders in Gooty, Adoni, Mumbai, Chennai and Coimbatore make sorties during the early showers season in search of buying the diamonds.
The local people of Jonnagiri who smelt the diamond in possession of Angadi Kashim said buyers from Gooty had visited the house and purchased it for Rs 1.25 crore, according to Village Revenue Officer Ramana Reddy. He said "It is a regular affair in this village and neighboring Krishnagiri and Aravali. The farmers are very secretive and will not disclose their findings. But it has been going on for decades"
The VRO said a report has been sent to the District Collector about the diamond. Here the land rates are also very high. Normally people do not sell their lands here as they consider they are the "Acres of Diamonds" that would yield gold and diamond recurrently, he said.
