Year 2013 was a spiritual milestone in my life, marked by an unforgettable bike ride during India’s Maha-kumbh, a grand festival celebrated every 12 years. Maha-kumbh always felt mythical to me, a setting from countless movies where brothers separated in the crowded fairs. For 9-10 days, I explored historical and spiritual places, with each destination adding its own charm to the journey. Among these, Panna stood out, not just for its renowned Tiger Reserve but also for its legendary diamond mines—a place I had only heard about in childhood stories.
Thanks to my close friend Alok Gautam and his elder brother, who worked in NDMC, I had the rare opportunity to visit the Panna diamond mines. It felt like stepping into a mystical realm as we entered the sprawling mining site. The adventure became surreal when we came across massive rock truck loaders, towering vehicles that looked like “big boys’ toys.” We couldn’t resist climbing into the cockpit, playing like children, and even got chance to ride these colossal machines. Perched high above the ground, the view from the truck felt like standing on the second floor of a building, with regular cars and bikes looking like tiny speed bumps below. It was an exhilarating experience that brought out the adventurer in all of us.
From a distance, we observed the intricate process of diamond sorting and refining. Seeing a real diamond freshly mined from the earth was an awe-inspiring moment, as if we had uncovered a treasure from ancient tales. Panna’s diamond mines, one of the only such sites in India, gave me a sense of unraveling a childhood mystery, transforming the mythical into reality. This experience added an adventurous twist to my spiritual bike ride, making 2013 a year etched forever in my heart.
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