https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Arefa_TehsinArefa Tehsin - Revision history2026-10-30T01:08:40ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arefa_Tehsin&diff=487391&oldid=prevBernardoWebb158: made some details needs work.2026-02-02T18:47:59Z<p>made some details needs work.</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian writer}}<br />
{{Orphan|date=December 2025}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}<br />
{{Infobox writer<br />
| name = Arefa Tehsin<br />
| occupation = Writer and columnist<br />
| nationality = Indian<br />
| notableworks = {{unbulleted list|''The Witch in the Peepul Tree''|''Wild in the Backyard''|''The Great Indian Safari''}}<br />
| years_active = 2010–present<br />
| genre = Children’s literature, literary fiction, nature writing<br />
| website = {{URL|https://arefatehsin.com}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Udaipur]], Rajasthan<br />
| image = Arefa Tehsin.jpg<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''Arefa Tehsin''' is an Indian author, naturalist and columnist. She writes fiction for children, young adults and adults.<ref name="auto2">{{cite news |last=Chakrabarti |first=Paromita |date=18 December 2022 |title=By the Book: Ravina Aggarwal and Arefa Tehsin's books centre around nature, but in very different ways |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/parenting/by-the-book-ravina-aggarwal-and-arefa-tehsin-books-centre-around-nature-but-in-very-different-ways-8331084/ |access-date=1 October 2025 |work=The Indian Express}}</ref><br />
<br />
Her debut adult novel, ''The Witch in the Peepul Tree'', was super-shortlisted for the 2024 Asian Prize for Fiction.<ref name="auto1">{{cite news |date=19 November 2024 |title=Arefa Tehsin's book makes it to Asian Prize for Fiction super shortlist |url=https://www.ptinews.com/story/national/arefa-tehsin-s-book-makes-it-to-asian-prize-for-fiction-super-shortlist/1996448 |access-date=1 October 2025 |work=Press Trust of India |publisher=PTI News}}</ref><br />
<br />
She has written more than twenty books including ''Wild in the Backyard'' (2018), ''The Witch in the Peepul Tree'' (2023) and ''The Great Indian Safari'' (2025). Her columns are published in national dailies like ''[[Hindustan Times]]'', ''[[The Hindu]]'' and ''[[The Indian Express]]''.<ref name="CitiesInFiction">{{cite web |date=21 May 2025 |title=An interview with writer and novelist, Arefa Tehsin |url=https://www.citiesinfiction.com/arefatehsin |access-date=1 October 2025 |publisher=Cities in Fiction}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Early life and education ==<br />
Tehsin grew up in [[Udaipur|Udaipur, Rajasthan]].<ref name="CitiesInFiction"/> She is the daughter of naturalist Dr. Raza H. Tehsin.<ref name="auto3">{{cite news |date=7 August 2012 |title=Book Review: Tales from the Wild by Dr. Raza H. Tehsin and Arefa Tehsin |url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/4215/book-review-tales-from-the-wild-by-dr-raza-h-tehsin-and-arefa-tehsin/ |access-date=1 October 2025 |work=The Better India}}</ref> Arefa’s childhood days were spent treading jungles with her father, which deeply influenced her as an author.<ref name="auto2"/><br />
<br />
== Career ==<br />
Tehsin began writing columns and features for newspapers like ''The Hindu'', ''The Indian Express'', ''Outlook Money'' and ''Hindustan Times''.<ref name="auto4">{{cite web |title=Arefa Tehsin |url=https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/129866/arefa-tehsin |access-date=1 October 2025 |publisher=Penguin Books UK}}</ref> She also served as the honorary wildlife warden of Udaipur district.<ref name="CitiesInFiction"/><br />
<br />
In 2014, she co-authored ''The Land of the Setting Sun & Other Nature Tales'' with her father, which was described as a “must-read for young readers” by ''The Better India''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pareek |first=Shreya |date=13 September 2014 |title=Children's Book Review: The Land Of The Setting Sun & Other Nature Tales |url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/13728/land-setting-sun/ |access-date=1 October 2025 |work=The Better India}}</ref><br />
<br />
Her young adult fantasy novel, ''Iora and the Quest of Five'', was highlighted in ''The Indian Express'' for its environmental themes.<ref name="auto2"/><br />
<br />
In 2023, [[HarperCollins]] India published her debut adult novel, ''The Witch in the Peepul Tree'', a historical mystery set in 1950s Udaipur.<ref name="auto5">{{cite news |last=Fernandez |first=Fiona |date=4 March 2025 |title=Children's book author Arefa Tehsin on 'The Witch in the Peepul Tree' being translated into Sinhala, and more |url=https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/things-to-do/article/childrens-book-author-arefa-tehseen-on-the-witch-in-the-peepul-tree-being-translated-into-sinhalese-and-more-23493050 |access-date=1 October 2025 |work=Mid-Day}}</ref> The book is being translated into Sinhalese and is also being adapted for broadcast in multiple Indian languages.<ref name="auto5"/> The book was included in the super-shortlist, the “Asian Trio”, for the 2024 Asian Prize for Fiction.<ref name="auto1"/><br />
<br />
The novel received coverage from the Press Trust of India following its shortlisting for the 2024 Asian Prize for Fiction.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Arefa Tehsin's book makes it to Asian Prize for Fiction super shortlist |url=https://www.ptinews.com/story/national/arefa-tehsin-s-book-makes-it-to-asian-prize-for-fiction-super-shortlist/1996448 |work=[[Press Trust of India]]}}</ref><br />
<br />
''The Witch in the Peepul Tree'' was featured in ''The Indian Express''’s June 2023 book recommendations.<ref>{{Cite news |title=June in Books: A father on son’s autism, prophecies from Manipur, and Arundhati Roy’s latest award |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/books-and-literature/june-in-books-arundhati-roy-8696898/ |work=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref>The novel’s shortlist recognition was also covered by ''Scroll.in''.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Indian writers Arefa Tehsin and Smriti Ravindra make the final round of 2024 Asian Prize for Fiction |url=https://scroll.in/article/1075810/indian-writers-arefa-tehsin-and-smriti-ravindra-make-the-final-round-of-2024-asian-prize-for-fiction |work=[[Scroll.in]]}}</ref><br />
<br />
In 2025, Puffin Penguin published ''The Great Indian Safari'', an illustrated introduction to India’s wildlife and ecosystems for children.<ref name="auto">{{cite news |date=30 August 2025 |title=Arefa Tehsin on her book 'The Great Indian Safari' |url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/arefa-tehsin-great-indian-safari-interview/article69842343.ece |access-date=1 October 2025 |work=The Hindu}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Works ==<br />
<br />
=== Selected books ===<br />
<br />
* ''Steed of the Jungle God''<ref>{{cite news |date=20 July 2018 |title=This book about the mysteries of the jungle is replete with the experience of its pioneering author |url=https://scroll.in/article/886861/this-book-about-the-mysteries-of-the-jungle-is-replete-with-the-experience-of-its-pioneering-author |access-date=1 October 2025 |work=Scroll.in}}</ref><br />
* ''The Globetrotters''<ref>{{cite news |date=26 July 2018 |title=A freewheeling chat with author Arefa Tehsin on writing for children and more |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/a-freewheeling-chat-with-author-arefa-tehsin-on-writing-for-children-and-more/article24510516.ece |access-date=1 October 2025 |work=The Hindu}}</ref><br />
* ''The Land of the Setting Sun & Other Nature Tales'' (2014, with Raza H. Tehsin)<ref name="auto3"/><br />
* ''Wild in the Backyard'' (2018)<ref name="auto4"/><br />
* ''Iora and the Quest of Five'' (2022)<ref name="auto2"/><br />
* ''The Witch in the Peepul Tree'' (2023)<ref name="auto5"/><ref name="auto1"/><br />
* ''The Great Indian Safari'' (2025)<ref name="auto"/><br />
<br />
== Selected awards ==<br />
<br />
* ''The Great Indian Safari'' – shortlisted for the 2025 Atta Galatta: Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize.<ref>{{cite web |title=Children's Non-Fiction Shortlist 2025 |url=https://agblfprize.in/childrens_non_fiction/ |access-date=1 October 2025 |publisher=Atta Galatta–Bangalore Literature Festival}}</ref><br />
* ''The Witch in the Peepul Tree'' – included in the super-shortlist for the 2024 Asian Prize for Fiction.<ref name="auto1"/><br />
* ''The Chirmi Chasers'' – shortlisted for the 2021 Neev Book Award.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Chirmi Chasers – Neev Book Award Shortlist 2021 |url=https://www.neevliteraturefestival.org/shortlist/the-chirmi-chasers/ |access-date=1 October 2025 |publisher=Neev Literature Festival}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Personal life ==<br />
Tehsin divides her time between Sri Lanka and India.<ref name="CitiesInFiction"/> <br />
<!-- Draft created with declared COI; see Talk page for disclosure --><br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* {{official website|https://arefatehsin.com}}<br />
* [https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/129866/arefa-tehsin Arefa Tehsin]<br />
<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tehsin, Arefa}}<br />
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]<br />
[[Category:People from Udaipur]]<br />
{{Improve categories|date=November 2025}}</div>BernardoWebb158