SRIVASTAVA, Vinayak N. 1961-

PERSONAL: Born March 9, 1961, in Etah, Uttar Pradesh, India; son of Kailash N. (a lawyer) and Savitri Srivastava; married, April 12, 1996; wife's name Vandita (a scientist). Education: Earned M.L.

ADDRESSES: Office—Centre for Contemporary Studies, Nehru Memorial and Museum Library, Teen Murti House, New Delhi, India. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Academic and author. Centre for Contemporary Studies, Nehru Memorial and Museum Library, New Delhi, India, affiliate.

MEMBER: International Political Economy Group.

WRITINGS:

Separation of the Party and the State-Political Leadership in Soviet and Post-Soviet Phases, Ashgate (Hampshire, England), 1999.

Member of editorial board, Contemporary India and Journal of Centre for Contemporary Studies, Nehru Memorial and Museum Library; contributor to scholarly works.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Peacocks, Serpents, and the Rainbow, a work of fiction; research on the socio-cultural and civilisational attributes and their influence on political identity formation, with a book to result.

SIDELIGHTS: Vinayak N. Srivastava told CA: "Writing gives me satisfaction and a feeling of having made some contribution in understanding that particular area a little better. Fiction written by me is partly biographical, based on oral history and creative imagination, and has given me immense creative satisfaction, although it is yet to be published, since in it I have been able to tell a story which is unique in many senses and gives an insight into a particular historical epoch and people, their lives, and times associated with it. My work on local governance in India is again a contribution toward understanding an experiment in local democracy that has been undertaken in India."