Chandi Dan Detha (died 28 July 2024) was an Indian agriculturalist and Padma Shri recipient who is known for pioneering work in the field of agriculture and transforming the desert village of Borunda.

[5] Chandidan tested the water of his inherited well and found it suitable, so he decided to install a diesel pump set at a depth of 110 ft.[5] These attempts of Chandidan and his seven brothers were met with disbelief and criticism when they began to dig a well in the basalt-filled land, with religious men warning them that it would bring the wrath of God upon their heads.

[6] Chandidan had an idea to install a diesel engine in a chamber constructed at the depth of 100 feet in the wall of the well.

A man who was lowered 100 metres into the depths of the well would demand to be brought up almost immediately due to lack of air and fear of the pitch darkness.

Priests warned against drinking the water from the well, but Chandidan was able to pump it out and irrigate the land, proving the sceptics wrong as the barren desert became incredibly fertile with luxuriant vegetation.

In no time, 400 families had settled in the village, and Chandidan was elected chairman of their Panchayat in 1955 and later awarded Padma Shri in 1967 for his services.

[7][8] In carrying water from the well to distant fields, Chandidan showed great enterprise through the construction of a 3000 feet long 6" pipe line and various channels, as well as reclaiming a low lying area known as 'Sar' by digging out an existing canal, which has released a vast area for dry cultivation of wheat and gram.

Soon afterwards, a 6,000 foot long pipeline was laid and taps were installed in the streets and houses in order to solve their drinking water problem.

[5] To promote irrigation work, Chandidan organized a cooperative society and sought assistance from the state government.

The youths provided voluntary labor to construct irrigation channels, and new varieties of seeds and fertilizers were purchased collectively.

[5] He also introduced high-yielding varieties, fertilisers and modern implements to the farmers, transforming the barren land into a green verdour.

Every year, famine would come and the farmers and cattle moved from Malwa to Bombay and even upto Delhi in search of food and fodder.

Early in his administration of the Borunda panchayat, in 1957, responding to the question of progress of Community Development programmes running block-wide, despite difficulties and failures, expressed optimism and Chandidan said,[10] "We have given the people wells and seeds and new implements.

We are bound to run up against prejudices....Look at the number of young village leaders that are coming up, look at the increasing power and prestige of our Panchayats, look at the decrease in the fear of authority among ordinary people, and the new spirit of self-reliance that is coming up; and above all, how could we have so many new buildings for schools and Panchayats and so many new roads without the willing participation of the people.

[11] A market was developed including 10-15 shops selling essential items, tea, bidi, cigarettes, and liquor, with a total monthly income of 6-15 thousand rupees.

[12] Chandidan had also planned and built a bus station, a hotel, a shopping centre, and a hospital in the further expansion of Borunda.

[6] The material prosperity and the change in the outlook of the people was reflected in the neat and clean houses lining the streets, with soak-pits provided in front of every portal.

This series included tales from the more than 12,000 collected by the centre under the direction of two renowned authors, Vijaydan Detha and Komal Kothari.

[11] Some of these stories and novels have been adapted in films such as Mani Kaul's Duvidha (1973),[15] Habib Tanvir and Shyam Benegal's Charandas Chor (1975), etc.