Hello all,
It's time for another interview, and today we will be getting to know Indian author Dr Rishikesh Upadhyay, also known as Dr R K Upadhyay. So, let's meet him!
PB: Hello Dr Upadhyay! Welcome to pjbermanbooks.com. Tell us a bit about your background.
RKU: Hi, thank you so much for having me! Well, I grew up in a small Nepalis’ hamlet, Bhanjang Basti, just a few kilometres from Haflong in the district headquarter of NC Hills, India. My late father, Pitamber Upadhaya was superannuated from a Northeast Frontier Railway service and mother, Smt. Nandakala Upadhyay (now nonagenarian) is a homemaker. I have four elder brothers and sisters. I took a couple of degrees, PhD, MPhil of Plant Environmental Physiology and Chemistry and had a classroom experience of more than eleven years including three years at post-graduate level at Assam University, India. I gradually started teaching and writing research articles, popular articles and review articles on my subject from my post-MSc class onwards.
PB: What made you decide to become an author?
RKU: Well…I have never decided to become. When I taught Environmental Science or Botany at university or at a local govt. college, my lectures were like stories for the students. It has simply gone with the flow of my thoughts and my writings.
PB: What is your writing process?
RKU: As you know it’s very hard to get yourself or anyone back in that zone of thinking about the imaginative world or idea that's in your mind. During the day, I work at a local government college, and by night I pour my imagination and ideas out onto a page. I believe in and write about plants and their environment.
PB: When did you first start writing?
RKU: Probably when I was in school? But I didn’t start focusing on a complete idea until I was in college.
PB: Tell us about The Secret of Plants in the Environment.
RKU: The Secret of Plants in the Environment addresses environmental concerns such as the different types of stress situations and plant adaptation to changing environments, including the positive and negative effects of stress on the growth of crops, the beginning stages of plant life cycles, and plant output. This book seeks to discuss the impact of environmental changes or stress on plant life, environmental stress physiology, and adaptation mechanisms. It highlights the impact of environmental stresses on plants and crops under changing environments and gives a comprehensive overview of how plants respond to such environments.
PB: What is your favourite book series to read and why?
RKU: Any books related to plants and their environments, sometimes I read philosophy also.
PB: If you weren’t an author, what career would you be in?
RKU: Teaching or doing research, rather I love both.
PB: What’s the next target for you?
RKU: I'm working on my next book, possibly it will come soon. It's very different, but almost like with my third book on subject matters.
PB: Tell us a random fact about yourself.
RKU: I feel very happy when surrounded by positive peoples, working with them. I love teaching and learning.
PB: Do you have any regrets?
RKU: Yes that I don’t have good photographs or videos or letters or emails saved from my late father. He died before smartphones were a thing.
Thank you so much to Dr Rishikesh Upadhyay for taking the time to speak to us today!
You can also find Dr. Upadhyay on:
If you would like to purchase a copy of The Secret of Plants in the ENVIRONMENT, you can do so here:
Until next time, happy reading!
Peter