Mumbai: Six days after the bombings in India's financial capital, the country's flourishing diamond market is yet to regain its sparkle.
The close-knit groups of diamond traders are still mourning the losses faced by them in the 7/11 bomb blasts.
Gem traders, who originally hail from Gujarat, were one of the communities hardest hit by the railway blasts. They are now holding condolence meetings and organising financial support for the victims and their bereaved families.
"There were 35 Gujaratis, out of the 200 people killed in the July 11 terror bombings. Fifteen worked in the trade and at least 15 more are injured," said a diamond industry official.
"On Wednesday, when the diamond market at the Opera House in Charni Road was closed as a mark of respect to the dead, it registered a loss of Rs 3 billion ($64 million)," said Hardik Hundiya, a diamond trade expert.
"From this figure you can gauge the contribution this industry makes to India's economy," he added.
India is the world's biggest exporter of cut and polished diamonds, with Mumbai being one of the main centres of international diamond trade.
It is one of India's top foreign exchange earners, generating around $17 billion last year and employs around a million people including traders, cutters and polishers and assorters.
"The annual export of diamonds from India is valued at Rs 700 billion. The largest chunk of this comes from Mumbai," Hundiya said.
So, when bombs ripped through the first class compartments July 11, it took a toll on a significant number of contributors to this trade. "Those who died were small diamond merchants, traders, assorters and brokers. But, given the sheer size of this industry, the deaths mean huge losses," said Hundiya.
Rather than face the traffic of the overcrowded metropolis, thousands of diamond traders commute by trains daily, mostly from the western suburbs to the city centre's vibrant Charni Road, the main diamond market.
These traders mostly commute in close-knit groups in the first class compartments and on that fateful Tuesday, the explosives were planted only in these very compartments.
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The diamond traders in Mumbai make an affluent living, buying rough gems from Africa and Australia, having them cut and polished and then exporting them to jewellers in Hong Kong and the US.
These traders handle thousands of dollars worth of precious gems every day. To avoid attracting attention, they keep a low profile; work in tiny, obscure offices in dilapidated buildings often without signboards.
The only visible sign of their opulent trade are the few armed security guards outside their buildings. Visitors are interrogated and after their credentials are established, they are escorted to their destination.
Giving an estimate, of what a merchant in Mumbai earns, Hundiya said: "A small diamond merchant can make anything between Rs 25,000 to Rs 500,000 or more a month."
But despite their vigilant, cautious behaviour, the blasts have clearly left them shaken, fearing that they were an intentional target.
"We are in shock and we are feeling a deep sense of loss," said Sanjay Kothari, marketing head of the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council. "To lose so many people from the community has been a serious blow for us. The perpetrators of the blast have clearly targeted us."
"The industry is worried as it's clear they were targeting the affluent section of the community," said another diamond merchant, Vasant Mehta.
Industry-watchers, however, do not believe that Gujaratis were the sole targets.
"Casualties from the community are high as most Gujaratis from the diamond trade and the stock market travel during the evening rush hours," said Harish Sojitra, secretary, Mumbai diamond manufactures and owners association.
"Though, the morale of the industry has taken a severe beating, we are strong enough to bounce back," he said bravely.
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