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Man who knows
the larger India

Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, unknown till yesterday and non-existent only five years ago, certainly received a shot in the arm with Vayalar Ravi at the helm of the affairs. He linked 2.5 million Indian diaspora to the mainland offering them the opportunity to seamlessly travel between India and their adopted country for both business and pleasure.

SARAT C DAS

Seventy-two year old Vayalar Ravi’s antecedent as a Congress loyalist is probably as deep rooted as K. Karunakaran, one of the Kerala’s best known politicians. However, in the Congress leadership at New Delhi, it was Vayalar Ravi who is always overwhelmingly preferred for any assignment at the centre probably due to his founding of the Kerala Students' Union (KSU), the students' wing of Indian National Congress in Kerala which disengaged the Communist voters in favor of Congress at the grassroot level. Also, after A K Antony was elected to power in 2001, Karunakaran was on the warpath with the Government led by his own party and the party high command, thus Congress leadership found Vayalar Ravi more trustworthy like A K Antony.

Ravi currently the Union Cabinet Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs and a member of the Rajya Sabha, was born in Vayalar, Alappuzha District of Kerala. Ravi was elected to the 5th Lok Sabha in 1971 from Chirayinkil in Thiruvanathapuram district; and he was re-elected to the 6th Lok Sabha in 1977, serving until 1979. At that point he felt that probably he would be more effective in public service as Legislative Assembly member than Lok Sabha member. He was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1982, and he served as Home Minister of Kerala from 1982 to 1986 before resigning from that position due to a disagreement with Chief Minister K. Karunakaran. Again he was re-elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1987, serving until 1991. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in July 1994 and again in April 2003. He became Union Cabinet Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs on January 30, 2006.