Dr. Gopalam, also known as Vijayagopal, is a Ph. D. in Human Genetics from Osmania University. After a short teaching stint at under-graduate level he joined All India Radio, Hyderabad as an officer in charge of Science programmes. The science broadcast under his supervision and participation became very popular and won some awards at national level. His Telugu versions of serials like Method of Science and Human Evolution won laurels. He rose to the level of Station Director and left the job to continue as a freelance writer communicator.
He is a much acclaimed columnist for Telugu dailies and other magazines for over three decades. He wrote daily science columns for periods over years. His weekly columns and pages are attracting many even now. He was awarded the Telugu University Award of Fame for the contribution to Popular Science. Dr. Gopalam has lectured extensively at Science seminars and conferences and participated as a resource person on many popular science workshops.
Dr. Gopalam wrote and translated many books on the themes of science. His third and revised translation of Yakov Perelman is a best seller even now. His recent books in Telugu on Science through questions and answers are making waves. His recent book on Mind and Man (In Telugu) is making waves. He feels proud to be writing in his mother tongue! He continues to write and publish books regularly.
Dr. Gopalam appears regularly on TV in programmes relating to science. His quiz show Shastra is attracted many non-viewers to the television. On popular demand the show was repeated on DD-Telugu. AP state government bestowed upon him a Nandi award (Best Anchor 2011) for the programme. He has contributed scripts and 100s of TV programmes for many channels on varied themes of science and related matters over years. Some of them are adaptations of the international material from sources like National Geographic and Discovery. He has also produced many original shows. His participation in a nationwide programme of motivating students, namely INSPIRE is widely appreciated.
Dr. Gopalam has also won awards for his service to Carnatic Music. People say he does the hardest thing in classical music that is to sit and listen. He was in the very small team of people who have conducted the ShyamaSastry Festival at Kanchipuram for four years in a grand manner. He is well known literary figure contributing regularly to the media. He is also an accomplished translator from English, Hindi, Urdu, German languages. He has sound knowledge of Sanskrit. His poems and Lyrics (sometimes on the themes of science) are very popular. He has composed a folk ballad on genetics as part of a Radio serial and it was a hit.
A leading Telugu daily has convinced him to share his memoirs (He is just sixty six) on a weekly basis for over the last six years.
Collection and digitization of classical music has turned out into a necessity for him. Like I eat food, I also listen to music, he says.
He was on many committees and editorial boards of publication and organisations.
DrGopalam believes in versatility and enjoys working on new and challenging works.
He is an avid reader and enjoys reading all kinds of books in more than three languages. He cherishes being in company of well-meaning people and goes any distance for that.
