Born in 1956 in a Brajwasi family, Vineet Narain had his primary education in Western Uttar Pradesh and did his higher studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. His father was an academician and served as the Vice-Chancellor of two prominent universities in U.P. He fought against interference of the political masters in the admission procedure of some of the professional courses in the state. His mother, a Gandhian social worker and highly spiritual person, was active in students politics at the Lucknow University in 1950s. She gave values of social commitment to her children.