Shri Ravindra Varma

VARMA, SHRI RAVINDRA,  [Janata—Maharashtra, North Bombay, 1980]  s. of late Shri K. Goda Varma; b. at Mavelikara, Alleppey District, Kerala, April 18, 1925; ed. at H.H. The Maharaja’s College of Arts, Trivandrum and Christian College, Madras; 2 s.; Social and Political Worker; previously associated with the Congress; took active part in the national struggle for independence and the struggle for responsible Government in Travancore and Mysore States and in the ‘Quit India’ Movement; courted imprisonment several times; played leading part in the Lok Sangharsh Movement during the Emergency; directed the All India underground movement against the Emergency, and for the restoration of democracy, travelled all over India and built up underground celis of resistance and organised All India Satyagraha Movement; was arrested in Bombay in the beginning of February, 1976, detained in Thana Jail and released on February 24, 1977.    Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Labour, March 1977—August, 1979; Member, All-India Congress Committee, 1958-77; General Secretary, All India Congress Committee, 1971-74; Member, Executive Committee of the National Students Organization, Madras State, 1944; Vice-President, All India Students Congress, 1945-46; President, All India Students Congress, 1946-49; Elected Member, International Executive of the International Students Service—World University Congress, 1945-46: Convener, Preparatory Committee of the National Union of Students, 1949-50; Secretary, Indian Youth Congress, 1949-51; President, All India Youth Congress, 1957; Secretary, (i) Indian Committee of the World Assembly of Youth (two terms) (ii) Gandhi Vichar Parishad, Wardha and Delhi (founded by the Sarva Seva Sangh and the disciples of Gandhiji for research, study and publication of the political, economic and sociological implications of Gandhian philosophy); International President of the World Assembly of Youth, 1958-62; Member, Director-General’s World Committee for Adult Education, UNESCO, 1960-64; Chairman, (i) Administrative Reforms Commission’s Study Team on Public Undertakings, 1965—67 and (ii) Administrative Reforms Commission’s Working Group on Defence Production, 1967-69; Member, Three-Man High Power Committee set up by the Government of India to enquire into the administration and expense ratio of Life Insurance Corporation, of India, 1968-69; General Secretary, All-India Lok Sangarsh Samiti August 1975: Member, (i) Third Lok Sabha, 1962-67 und (ii) Sixih Lok Sabha, 1977-79; Member, Executive Committee, Congress Party in Parliament, 1962-63 and 1964-67; Member, Consultative Committees for the Ministries of External Affairs, Defence and Finance, 1962-67; Member, (i) Privileges Committee, and (ii) Rules Committee; Leader, (i) Indian delegation to the International Students’ Conference at Prague, 1946, (ii) Indian Delegation to the International Students’ Service Conference, Aurora, New York, 1949, and (iii) Delegation of the Indian Youth Congress to China, 1958; undertook lecture tours of some Universities in the U.S.A.; took part in the Seminars and Conferences of (i) the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (ii) Food and Agriculture Organisation, (iii) International Labour Organisation, and (iv) other United Nations Agencies; Member, Government of India’s Delegation to, (i) U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva, 1964, (ii) Afro-Asian Governments’ Conference, Algiers, 1965, (iii) Government of India’s Observer Delegation to the African Heads of States’ Conference, Accra, 1964, and (iv) Government of India’s Delegation to the ECAFE Conference, New Delhi, 1967; Leader, Parliamentary Delegation to People’s Republic of North Korea and Mongolia; Represented the Government of India in the 61st, 62nd and 63rd Sessions of the International Labour Conferences and presided over the 63rd Session of I.L.O. in Geneva, 1979.  

Social activities:  Organised Gandhian Study Centres all over the country, delivered lectures in the training courses run by the All-India Spinners” Association, All-India Village Industries Association and other Institutions.  

Special interests:  Poetry, Politics, International Affairs, Economics and Philosophy.  

Publications:  Helped in the editing of ‘Harijan’ between 1951-52; Has contributed articles and has been a regular columnist of important papers and weeklies like Commerce, and News Weeklies like Hindustan Times, Week-end Review etc.  

Travels abroad:  United Kingdom, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Yugoslavia, U.S.A., and China,  As president of the World Assembly of Youth, travelled extensively in Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America.

Permanent address:  Sarada Mansion, Fort, Mavelikara, Kerala.