Mr. Vayalar Ravi born in 1937 in a village Vayalar, district Alappuzha, Kerala, in a middle-class family of a freedom fighter. 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. Shri Ravi was married to Mrs Mercy Ravi in the year 1969, who is also a writer and a political activist. She is presently an MLA in the Kerala State Assembly. They are blessed with a son and two daughters.

   Mr. Ravi began his career as a Student’s leader. He had organized Kerala Students Union (KSU) in 1957. The KSU is a pioneer of the students movement of the Congress which has given new life to the Congress Party in Kerala. The efforts of Youth Congress and KSU created a new image of the Congress Party which emerged as a ruling political force in Kerala. His association with Youth Congress began as early in 1956 as the Treasurer of Alleppy District Youth Congress. Later, he became the President of the Kerala Pradesh Youth Congress in 1965. Both  Mr. A..K. Antony, former Chief Minister of Kerala and the present Chief Minister Mr. Oommen Chandy have been his close associates since students’ political days. Mr. Ravi was elected to the KPCC in 1967 and became the AICC Member. He was General Secretary of the Indian Youth Congress when Mr. Narayan Datt Tiwari was the President. He with the consent of Smt. Indira Gandhi organized the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).

          Mr. Ravi refused to contest in 1970 Assembly elections in Kerala while Mr. A.K Antony and Mr. Oomen Chandy became the youngest MLAs. Mr. Ravi was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 from Chrayinkil in Thiruvananthapuram District. Elected again in 1977. He was elected to the Congress Working Committee in 1972 in Calcutta AICC Session. He is a socialist by conviction. He was the Convenor of the Socialist Forum for a long time. In 1982, he became the Home Minister of Kerala and resigned in 1986 on a difference of opinion with Mr. K. Karunakaran, the then CM. Again elected to the Kerala Assembly in 1987.

          Mr. Ravi became the President of the Kerala Pradesh congress committee defeating Mr. A.K Antony in 1992. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1996. Mr. Ravi became the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee in the year 2001. He was again elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2003. He is the Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development.

          Mr. Ravi represented India three times at the United Nations General Assembly. He has widely traveled all over Europe, USA, Africa, the Gulf and Asian countries. Mr. Ravi is a well-known trade union leader of Kerala. He continues to be the President of the Cochin Port Trust Workers’ Union for the last 30 years. A post graduate and a bachelor of law, Shri Ravi is an excellent orator and a profolic writer and an outstanding parliamentarian. He always raised his voice in favour of the poor, the destitutes and the weaker sections of our society. In the Tirupati AICC  Session, he was the lone voice against the Economic Resolution which gave the green signal for globalisation and liberalization