In 2019, she got the ‘Global Star of the Year’ award at the AMU Women of Influence Conclave, held at Atlantis, Dubai. She was on the jury of iWrite’19 a competition for aspiring writers at Jaipur BookMark, Jaipur Literature Festival and is a recipient of the ‘Outstanding Aligarian Award’ and also an award presented by Bollywood scriptwriter and lyricist - Javed Akhtar in 2017. Her latest novel is 355 Days (Genre – Crime-Legal Fiction).ĭeeba is the founder of, a portal for aspiring writers, and is the curator of the unique writers retreats that were held in Slovenia and the Kangra Valley in the Himalayas with the industry’s best editors as her guests for participants. Currently, it is being translated into more languages outside India. Her debut novel, Urma, published in India was translated into Urdu and nominated for an award. It was launched at AMULiterary Festival in India in 2016 by Padma Shri Keki Daruwala, a well-known poet of India.Ĭharcoal Blush received a lot of praise from Academy Award-winning and Emmy Award-winning directors. I pledge 36 hours a year for the service of aspiring writers in this country.”ĭeeba’s poetry coffee table book, Charcoal Blush was the finalist at the 2017 Book Excellence Awards in Canada. I am thankful to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for launching the first long-term cultural visa in the world and recognising and nurturing talent. On receiving the coveted visa under the ‘class of creator from the people of culture and art’, she said: “I am extremely delighted to receive the long-term visa for myself and my family and be recognised as a writer by the government of UAE. Deeba was an advertising professional before she turned into a full-time author. She's one of the very few female authors from India to have received the Golden Visa. She has already penned three books and is working on her fourth one. UAE - Two Indian authors based in the UAE have become the latest recipients of the UAE's 10-year Golden Visaĭeeba Salim Irfan, who calls Dubai her home, has been living here for the last 22 years.

URMA by Deeba Salim Irfan