Arefa Tehsin is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, both for children and adults, and contributes columns, features and travel articles to various publications like The Indian Express, The Hindu, Deccan Herald, Outlook Money and TerraGreen. Her book The Chirmi Chasers was shortlisted for Neev Book Award 2021. Amra and the Witch was shortlisted for FCCI’s Best Book of the Year Award 2019. She was shortlisted for the The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Best Author Award 2017 for her book Wild in the Backyard. The picture book The Elephant Bird was read at 3200+ locations in India from the slums to the Presidential library on the International Literacy Day, 2016 and translated in 35+ languages. Do Tigers Drink Blood and 13 Other Mysteries of Nature is being translated in Chinese. A few schools in India and Sri Lanka have taken up her books as textbooks and supplementary readers. The fantasy book ‘Iora and the Quest of Five’ was released in the U.S. and U.K. in 2022. ‘Witch on the Peepul Tree’, her first novel for adults, will be published by HarperCollins in 2023. Daughter of the renowned naturalist Dr. Raza H. Tehsin, Arefa has spent her childhood days treading jungles with her father, exploring caves and handling snakes. She was appointed as the Honorary Wildlife Warden of Udaipur district and has pursued nature conservation through her writings and columns.
The Chirmi Chasers Shortlisted for Neev Book Award 2021
Amra and the Witch shortlisted for FICCI Book Award 2019
The Hindu, July 2018:
Sakal Times, Aug 2018:
The Asian Age, July 2018:
Shortlisted for The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Best Author Award 2017
Outlook: A Liar’s Journey:
A small message on World Book Day 2020
Episode on Snakes on School TV, Doordarshan (DD) (July 2020) – YouTube Trailer
Free Press Journal: Children’s Day 2022
Kitabe Club, Instagram Live Interview
Kunzum: “I Write the Story for Myself”: Arefa Tehsin, Children’s Author | Conversations
Scroll.in: A writer explains why she misses the lockdown brought on by the pandemic
Interview on All India Radio on Earth Day 2020
#ThodaReadingCorona on Earth Day
Momspresso video #OnceUponABookWithPenguin
Siddhartha Sarma interviews for Duckbill Blog
Interview in The New Indian Express’ EDEX
#JLF2017 Rewilding a Rocky Desert: Pradip Krishen introduced by Arefa Tehsin
#JLF2017 Not Yet!: Nandana Sen introduced by Arefa Tehsin
Jaipur Literature Festival 2017
Sweden TV: Interview (#JLF2017. Story starts at 32:20 minutes.)
Interview in Book Trotters Club
Interview in Jaipur Women’s Blog
Interview on the Pratham Books’ Wesbite
Interview in The Lucknow Tribune
Interview in The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka
Interview in A Thousand Wrongs, UK
———————————————————————————
Books:
Iora and the Quest of Five Publisher: Crimson Dragon Publishing, USA
Gupshup Goes to Prison Publisher Duckbill (Penguin Random House)
Let’s Eat Publisher: Pratham
The Chirmi Chasers Publisher: Duckbill (Penguin Random House)
Amra and the Witch Publisher: Duckbill ((Penguin Random House)
The Globetrotters Publisher: Puffin (Penguin Random House)
Wild in the Backyard Publisher: Puffin (Penguin)
Do Tigers Drink Blood and 13 Other Mysteries of Nature Co-authored by Raza H. Tehsin. Publisher: Red Turtle, an imprint of Rupa & Co.
The Land of the Setting Sun & Other Nature Tales Co-authored by Raza H. Tehsin. Publisher: TERI Press
The Elephant Bird Picture Book in 6 languages – Hindi, English, Urdu, Kannada, Marathi, Telugu. Publisher: Pratham Books
Iora & the Quest of Five First novel of a rainforest based fantasy series. Publisher: Fingerprint, am imprint of Prakash Books
The Steed of the Jungle God Co-authored by Dr. Raza H. Tehsin. Publisher: National Book Trust (NBT)
Tales from the Wild – Co-authored by Raza H. Tehsin. Publisher: Unicorn Books, an imprint of Pustak Mahal.
Contribution in Anthologies:
Flipped Publisher: HarperCollins
Whoopee 30! Publisher: The Hindu
Urban Shots – Bright Lights Publisher: Grey Oak
Articles & Columns in:
The Indian Express, The Hindu, Outlook Money, The Wire, Deccan Herald, Hindustan Times, JetWings (magazine of Jet Airways), The Times of India and TERI’s Terra Green.
Organisations:
Member, Executive Committee, Vidya Bhawan Society, Udaipur
Editorial Team, Loris – Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka’s journal
Documentaries (Co-produced):
1. Daughter of Saraswati – on a project funded by Australian Geographic. Director – Himalay Tehsin
2. Rediscovery of Buddhism in India – Contribution of Sinhala Buddhists (Director/Producer – Himanay Tehsin). Broadcasted on Rupavahini, Channel Eye and The Buddhist channels (Sri Lanka) and shown in India and UK. Screened in Vesak Film Festival, Sri Lanka where it won a Merit Award.
Arefa Tehsin 
Hi,
Can i ask u somethin?
Yes, please go ahead…
Wow You have achieved what said about one and half decade ago……….hope you remeber I was the one who wrote to you about creating an issue regarding the identity of leopard…..Nissar Ahmad
Hey. Your name does ring a bell, but pardon my memory, I can’t exactly place it. What’s your email ID?
an old story…….ithink… 1999……..it is a long time it was me who had written to you about the identity of a dead animal who was burnt…..hope you remember….my mail is nis1231@gmail.com and nis1231@rediffmail.com….
a good debut novel
Thank you! Glad you liked it.
Hi Arefa,
We are doing an event for kids at Asiad Vilage, New Delhi on the 31st Jan-1st Feb. The event has been sponsored by OLX and is being planned on a massive scale. Our team would like you to do a story telling session or something similar for the kids.
Please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks,
Akshat
Hi Akshat,
You can please write to me on my email arefatehsin@gmail.com
Best
Hey mam ,
I am also from udaipur just wants some suggestions . I am also want to explore our jungles , would you please suggest which one is good where we find many new species .