VASANT PURUSHOTTAM KALE (1932–2001), or ‘VaPu' as he was popularly known, was one of the most prolific writers in Marathi, with more than sixty books to his credit. His short stories are known for their insightful character studies, gentle satire and observations on life. Apart from his short stories, some of his most-read works have been the novella, Partner, and his autobiography, Vapurzha. He also started the trend of ‘katha kathan', where he would read his stories out to live audiences, and his stage shows, audio cassettes and CDs were immensely popular.
Vikrant Pande has translated twelve Marathi bestsellers into English. His translation of Girish Kuber's book Tatayan (The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation) won the prestigious Gaja Capital Best Business Book award in 2019. His book on the history of State Bank of India The SBI Story: Two Centuries of Banking (2021) has been received well. He has translated and written original pieces for Storytel, an audio book company. Vikrant is a graduate of IIM Bangalore, and a full-time writer now.