Srivastava was born on 31 December 1942, in
Varanasi, the holy city of Lord Shiva in the Indian state of
Uttar Pradesh. He secured his master's degree in Physics (MSc) in 1961 from
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and followed it up with a doctoral degree (PhD) from the same institution, under the guidance of renowned physicist
Ajit Ram Verma, in 1966. After doing his post doctoral research at
Cornell University, USA, he returned to India to start his career as a lecturer at Banaras Hindu University where he served in different capacities as that of a reader, professor, head of the department of physics and the coordinator of the
Centre of Advance Studies-Hydrogen Energy Centre. After his superannuation from service, he continues his association with the university as a professor emeritus and as an associate faculty member of
Condensed Matter Experiment research program of the university. Srivastava, a former member of the board of directors of
The World Academy of Sciences, was the vice president (India & South Asia) of the International Association of Hydrogen Energy, having been elected to the position in 2012, where he also serves as a member of their editorial board. and over 440 scientific papers. He delivered keynote addresses in a number of science seminars and undertook several projects for various government agencies;
Nanoscience and Technology of the
Department of Science and Technology (2005–2010),
Support to Hydrogen Energy Centre (2007–2012),
Development & Demonstration of Hydrogen Catalytic Combustion Cookers (2007–2010),
Development & Demonstration of Hydrogen Fueled three wheelers (2009–2012),
Mission Mode Project on Hydrogen Storage Materials (Hydride) (2009–2014), all of the
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, and
Synthesis Characterization and Properties of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (2009–2012) of the
Defence Research and Development Organization are some of the notable ones. He was also involved in organizing science conferences and mentored 87 doctoral students. == Books ==