Dr Atulya Misra is a senior civil servant from the 1988 batch of the Indian Administrative Services. He currently serves as the Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu. Throughout his distinguished career, he has led several key departments and also chaired prominent institutions, including Chennai Port Trust, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Titan Industries and Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited.

An alumnus of The Scindia School, Hindu College and TERI University, Dr Misra also attended the Universities of Texas and Yale, IDS Sussex and UNU Tokyo. He holds a doctorate from Anna University, where he conducted pioneering research on carbon footprints. A committed environmentalist and policy thinker, he has published extensively in scientific journals and continues to advocate for sustainable development.

Testimony by Fire is his third book, following Oxygen Manifesto—a bestseller and Green Lit Fest Honour Book award winner—and Vultures of Paradise. His writing is noted for its clarity, conviction and deep engagement with social, economic and environmental issues.