DR KAUKUB QUDER SAJJAD ALI MEERZA was the great-grandson of Wajid Ali Shah and Begum Hazrat Mahal, and a noted scholar of Urdu literature and cultural history. A graduate of St. Xavier's College and Calcutta University, he earned his PhD from Aligarh Muslim University for his pioneering research on Wajid Ali Shah's literary and cultural contributions. His thesis, later published as a textbook, received top honours from the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He served as a research consultant to Satyajit Ray for Shatranj Ke Khiladi and wrote for NCERT on Begum Hazrat Mahal. An avid sportsman and billiards champion, he also published a magazine on the sport. Dr Meerza passed away in 2020 due to COVID-19 complications.

DR TALAT FATIMA is the great-great-granddaughter of Wajid Ali Shah and Begum Hazrat Mahal, and is a legal academic and author specializing in cyber law. A gold medalist in law from Aligarh Muslim University, she earned her PhD from Delhi University in 2009. She practised at the Calcutta High Court and later served as Principal of Government Law College, Dholpur. Her widely cited book on cybercrime, now in its third edition, was also the first to appear in Hindi on the subject. She has authored multiple titles with Kluwer Law International, including Cyber Law in India and Information Technology Law in India.