Kalki (1899–1954) was the pen name of R. Krishnamurthy, a famous Tamil writer known for his humorous and satirical articles and nationalist and historical novels, serialized in popular magazines and cherished by generations of readers. A nationalist and freedom fighter, he was jailed thrice during the freedom struggle. He launched and edited the magazine Kalki after having worked in Ananda Vikatan, another weekly, for several years.

Gowri Ramnarayan is a playwright, theatre director, journalist (formerly deputy editor, The Hindu, now freelance writer), and vocal accompanist to legendary musician M. S. Subbulakshmi. Ramnarayan’s Dark Horse & Other Plays anthologizes her original plays. She has authored children’s books and a biography of M. S. Subbulakshmi (MS & Radha), translated two plays by Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar, and the Tamil short stories of Kalki Krishnamurthy.