Shrivatsa Purushottam

Shri Vatsa Purushottam (1935-1983) was born on 15th July, 1935 in Nabiganj, Chapra, Saran District, Bihar.

This page is a tribute to a person, who, had he lived, could have changed India itself for the better. In his short life, he left behind a rich legacy of memories and good deeds which have inspired his colleagues and his near and dear, years after his untimely passing. His wit, his commitment to the underprivileged, his insight into the reality of the Indian condition, his mastery of predictive geopolitical analysis and his intellectual and moral fearlessness, still shine as a beacon to those who knew him. He touched the lives of many, in and out of the Indian Foreign Service.

His beautiful evocation of native Bhojpuri songs, in which he sang of the plight of India’s downtrodden masses and the hope that persisted in their hearts, are etched in memory.

He refused to take himself too seriously, although there was no one within a wide radius who could equal him in any of these attributes. He played pranks which delighted their targets, and gently pulled the legs of the pompous and the inflated. He loved children, and could play with them for hours, telling them stories and building the kind of suspense only a masterful and truly loving story-teller can.