Jaishankar Prasad, fondly called Prasad Ji, was not merely a great poet but a phenomenon with no parallel in Indian literary history. He was born on 30 January 1890, in an aristocratic family of Varanasi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. His parents’ early passing away cut short his formal education, but he was extensively tutored at home. He gained deep knowledge by studying Indian history, Sanskrit, literature, philosophy and the Hindu scriptures by himself. He is one of the most eminent pillars of the 'Chhayavad' movement, which emphasised spiritualism, humanism and romanticism, in Hindi literature. His contributions to Chaayavad have a spiritual base and universalism that touches the human heart. Prasad Ji’s literary output straddled the genres of poetry, drama and fiction. He pioneered historical drama set in ancient India.
When Prasad Ji’s glory was at its peak, he developed tuberculosis. He breathed his last on 15 November 1937. Prasad Ji was an ardent devotee of Shiva. Legions of his fans believe that he had attained enlightenment. There is a divine element in his thought, which has a spiritually uplifting effect on the reader.

Vinod Kumar (born 1941) was an engineer by training, and an ardent Prasad fan. Prasad Ji had a deep influence on him since childhood. Vinod formed the Kamayani Vibhuti trust in 2008 to promote the understanding of literature in general, and Prasad Ji’s works in particular. He turned focus to literary work in 2017, after a successful career in the private sector, as well as a long stint as an entrepreneur, collaborating with his wife Pratibha on her many translations. In 2021, Vinod translated and published the only available Hindi translation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of Baskervilles. Apart from this translation of Prasad's 'Aansu', was working on a Hindi translation of Around the World in Eighty Days, among other projects, when he passed away in May 2023.

Meeta Kumar is Pratibha and Vinod’s daughter. She teaches Economics at a University of Delhi college for a living. She reads poetry, crime fiction and romance for pleasure.