In the heart of Amritsar, where history meets tradition, a lesser-known tale unfolds in the narrow lanes of Guru Bazar. While the Golden Temple stands majestically nearby and Jallianwala Bagh whispers memories of past trauma, the untold story of Guru Bazar’s sweeper community is one that has escaped the attention of history.
Separating the gold from the dirt swept up from the street is an arduous process. Here, the mud is mixed with water. The gold collects at the bottom of the container. | Photo Credit: Shivam Khanna
Every morning at around 4:30 am, when the shops are still shut and the temples have not yet opened their doors, a group arrives with buckets, brooms, and brushes. The men gather the dust from the streets hoping to find traces of gold mixed within.
Will particles of gold collect at the bottom of the pan once water is added to the dirt? It is always an uncertain business. The sweepers rely largely on luck. | Photo Credit: Shivam Khanna
One of these men is Jagjeet, a sweeper who has been working these streets for nearly 15 years. Each day, Jagjeet collects the dust in a shallow pan, meticulously searching for gold.
Tools of the trade: broom, brush, and bucket. | Photo Credit: Shivam Khanna
His method is time-consuming. “I wash the muck with water,” he explains. The heavier gold sinks to the bottom of the pan. Then comes the crucial part: “I hold the pan with the mixture over a furnace and add acid.” The heat burns away the sand and other metals, leaving only the gold behind.
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“Sometimes, I get acid on my hands, but now I have got used to it,” Jagjeet adds with a resigned smile. He works six to seven hours a day, patiently repeating this process.
A tradition in the sweeper community
The work is a tradition in the sweeper community, passed down through generations. “A group of sweepers has its area marked out; others cannot come in there,” Jagjeet says.
Jagjeet and his friend sift the grains of the mud they have collected in a shallow pan. | Photo Credit: Shivam Khanna
The territory is divided among the sweepers, about 300 of whom scour the streets of Guru Bazar every morning. On good days, Jagjeet earns between Rs.200 and Rs.300, and during the festive Diwali season, his earnings can go up to Rs.500.
Jagjeet adds acid to the mud. The acid burns everything except the gold. | Photo Credit: Shivam Khanna
The value of his findings varies with the seasons and luck. On the day we spoke, Jagjeet had found a few grains of gold and some small pieces of the metal.
A sweeper points to the gold particles that have been separated successfully, in a small steel bowl. | Photo Credit: Shivam Khanna
Once he collects enough gold, Jagjeet sells it to jewellers in the market, such as Madanlal, who owns a shop on the very street where Jagjeet and other sweepers work. Madanlal tests the quality of the gold before paying for it.
A sweeper swirls the muddy water in a pan where he hopes gold particles have collected at the bottom. A jeweller, who buys the gold that the sweepers retrieve, sits watching. | Photo Credit: Shivam Khanna
“We share a good relationship,” Jagjeet says. “Sometimes he gives extra money, but he never pays less.” However, on days when the sweepers accumulate too much dust and do not have time to sift through it, they sell the entire heap, though this brings in less money.
The jeweller checking the gold particles separated from the dirt. | Photo Credit: Shivam Khanna
The work is mostly solitary. Each sweeper works alone, relying on luck to find gold. Jagjeet, though, is always confident he will find at least a little each day. But it is becoming harder to find gold now.
Jagjeet, who has sifted dirt to retrieve gold particles for 15 years, bargains with the jeweller who buys the separated gold from him, asking him to raise the price he pays. | Photo Credit: Shivam Khanna
“The drains are getting covered with tiles,” Jagjeet laments, making it more difficult for the sweepers to retrieve what they seek. Despite this challenge, he continues his work, supplementing his income with other part-time jobs to support his wife and daughter.
Payment time. Madanlal pays Jagjeet for the gold particles he has retrieved. | Photo Credit: Shivam Khanna
Not all sweepers are willing to talk about their work. Some fear ridicule for what they do, preferring to stay in the shadows.
Homeward bound. A sweeper heads home after a day’s work scouting for gold. | Photo Credit: Shivam Khanna
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Others, like Jagjeet, are more open, candidly sharing their experiences in a job that blends tradition, luck, and a small glimmer of gold hidden beneath the dust of Guru Bazar.
Shivam Khanna is an independent photojournalist based in Delhi.
