Vayalar Ravi was born in 1937 in Vayalar, a village in Alappuzha District in Kerala, to a middle-class family. His father Mr. M.K Krishnan was a veteran freedom fighter, a social activist who fought against untouchability and continued as Secretary of SNDP Taluka Committee for a long period. His mother Mrs. Devaky Krishnan was a prominent political congress leader of Kerala. She was the President of Kerala State Mahila Congress. She contested elections in the citadal of communists since 1960. Ravi was married to Late Smt. Mercy, a writer and political activist, in the year 1969. They are blessed with a son and two daughters.
Now a Rajya Sabha member and Union Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Ravi has also served as AICC (All India Congress Committee) General Secretary and KPCC (Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee) President.
Ravi, 68, started his political career as founder president of the party's students' wing in the Kerala Students Union in the early 1960s. He went on to become one of the youngest members of the Congress party's powerful working committee in the 1970s.
Vayalar Ravi was considered a young and dynamic leader since his entry into politics. He has led the Youth Congress in the State and played a key role along with AK Antony (Former Chief Minister of Kerala) in building Congress as a mass force in Kerala by attracting people from all classes and social groups to the party.
The 1969 split in the Congress made Ravi a nationally-known figure as a 'Young Turk' staunchly backing the left-of-the-centre policies of Indira Gandhi. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 and 1977.
Elected to the Kerala Assembly in 1982 and 1987, Ravi served as State Home Minister in 1982 to 1986.
Though a key figure of the anti-Karunakaran axis for long, Ravi had a brief stint in the Karunakaran camp in early 1990s. But he soon returned to his traditional moorings as a vocal critic of Karunakaran.
A keen trade unionist, Ravi founded several central government staff and PSUs unions and has served on important labour-related panels at the Centre.
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