"The Witch in the Peepul Tree" is one of the two literary pieces by Indian authors, shortlisted for th prestigious "Asian Prize for Fiction". The author of this novel is Arefa Tehsin, who hails from Udaipur and is currently settled in Sri Lanka. The Asian Prize for Fiction is an annual prize hosted by a sponsoring country each year and will be open for work across all genres of fiction. The prize is open to authors from all continents, and submission is required by the publishers. "The Witch in the Peepul Tree" is published by Harper Collins.

Arefa's English novel and "Rescuing a River Breeze" by Mrinalini Harchandrai are the two novel of Indian authors, along with Nepali-Indian writer Smriti Ravindra's "Woman Who Climbed Trees" and three other shortlisted books, "Spell of Good Things" by Nigeria's Ayobami Adebayo, "The Idle Stance of Tippler Pigeon" by Safinah Danish Elahi from Pakistan and "Brotherless Nights" by Sri Lankan - American author Ganeshananthan that will receive the prestigious Asian Prize for Fiction.

"Witch..." is a 325 page novel, set in the Udaipur of 1950s. is based on the events of one day, the festival of Makar Sankranti in a small colony in Udaipur. The novel is an amalgamation of various forms of writing, including crime, society and politics.

Arefa Tehsin is an established author of many children's books, mostly on wildlife and nature, and this novel is her maiden attempt at adult readership, which has received international recognition and appreciation. Arefa has been the honorary Wildlife Warden of Udaipur District and her father Reza H Tehsin is a renowned environmentalist.