Lost sparkle

Surat's diamond industry was already struggling; the US tariff hike could deal a devastating blow

- NACHIKET KELKAR

As we drive towards the outskirts of Surat in Gujarat, we come across a food stall named Ratnakalakar.

The name translates to 'craftsman of precious stones'. Dipak Ghetiya, who runs the stall, worked in the diamond industry as a polisher for more than two decades. After diamond exports declined, his work hours got reduced significantly, and Ghetiya quit and started his own food business.

"I used to earn around ₹50,000 a month, working 10 to 12 hours a day," he says. "But recently, work had dropped to just 4-5 hours a day, and my earnings shrank to about ₹15,000. I have a family of eight to support. My nephew is still in the industry but barely makes ₹20,000 a month."

Ghetiya moved to Surat from a village near Rajkot, like many others from his region, in search of a better livelihood in the diamond trade. Now, he travels 12km every day to sell snacks on his motorcycle.

"There's a sense of helplessness among diamond workers," he says. "But people have families to feed, so they carry on. I learned how to run this stall by watching YouTube videos. But not everyone can do that."

Like Ghetiya, Pankaj Vaishnav also quit the diamond industry this year and began selling snacks in a different part of Surat. Vaishnav came to Surat from Junagadh in 2010 and opened a barber shop. Later, through a friend, he got a more stable job in the diamond industry.

"I was cutting diamonds and easily earned ₹30,000-₹32,000 a month. But things started going downhill last year, and my salary dropped to just ₹14,000-₹15,000. I quit and started this food cart. Now I make around ₹30,000," says Vaishnav.