Vikram Sampath, a Bangalore-based historian, is the author of three acclaimed books-"Splendours of Royal Mysore: The Untold Story of the Wodeyars", "My Name Is Gauhar Jaan: The Life and Times of a Musician and Voice of the Veena" and"S. Balachander: A Biography". Vikram was awarded the Sahitya Akademi's first Yuva Puraskar in English literature and the ARSC International Award for Excellence in Historical Research in New York for his book on Gauhar Jaan. The book has also been adapted as a play, Gauhar, by Lillete Dubey and is being adapted into a Hindi movie by Ashutosh Gowariker.