Govind Krishnaswami is a Professor of Physics at the Chennai Mathematical Institute, India, and is a recipient of the Apker Award and Marie Curie, EPSRC and Ramanujan Fellowships. His research in areas such as particle physics, nonlinear dynamics and fluid mechanics has often exploited ideas and tools from classical mechanics. He has taught a wide variety of subjects and is known for the clarity of his lectures and pedagogical articles in Resonance, a journal of science education.