Deepa Balsavar has been writing and illustrating books for children for over 35 years. Her picture book ‘The Seed’ (Tulika Publishers, 2005) was chosen by White Raven, Germany as one of the outstanding books for young children, 2006, and ‘Nani’s Walk to the Park’ (Pratham Publishers, 2018) has won several awards including NEXT Publishing’s Book of the Year. Deepa is the recipient of the Tata Trusts Big Little Book Award 2021, for her contribution to the world of children’s illustration.

Deepa was a core team member of the Avehi-Abacus Project for 20 years, developing material for use in Municipal schools and Teacher Training Colleges. She has also been a consultant with UNICEF creating scripts and interactive material and conducting workshops on scriptwriting for animators in Bangladesh. She has also developed communication material on HIV/AIDS, sexuality and gender education, mental health and women’s studies. Deepa’s essay features in the anthology ‘Children’s Books – An Indian Story’ and she has co-authored with Nandini Purandare, Headstrap, a seminal work on the climbing Sherpas of Darjeeling. Published in 2024, this book has won every important mountain literature award.

Deepa is currently Adjunct Associate Professor, Communication Design at IDC – the School of Design, IIT Bombay.