Dr. R Bindu

The Hon'ble Minister for Higher Education, Kerala

Dr. R. Bindu, the current Minister for Higher Education and Social Justice, is the Pro-Chancellor of Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University. Dr. Bindu previously served as Vice Principal and Head of the Department of English at Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur. In 2021, she was elected as an MLA from the Irinjalakuda constituency. Born on May 31, 1967, in Kodungallur to N. Radhakrishnan and K. K. Shanthakumari, Bindu began her public life as a student leader with the SFI.

At just 18 years old, she became a student representative on the Calicut University Syndicate, later representing teachers as well. She also served on the Calicut University Senate and Academic Council. An accomplished poet and writer in both English and Malayalam, Bindu earned her MA in English Literature from St. Joseph's College, Irinjalakuda, where she ranked third in her class. She pursued an MPhil from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, focusing on Marxist Literary Criticism and Semiotics, and completed her PhD at Calicut University, researching subversion and revision in Angela Carter's fiction.

Bindu has twice served as a councilor for the Thrissur Corporation and was its first woman mayor. She was also a member of the Advisory Board of the first Kerala State Higher Education Council and contributed as a state resource member of the National Literacy Mission.

In addition to her political career, Bindu is actively involved in the cultural sphere. She is a member of the Central Executive Committee of the All India Democratic Women's Association and a former member of the state working committee of the AKPCTA. She also serves on the CPI(M) Thrissur District Committee. Beyond politics, Bindu is passionate about the arts, having trained in Bharatanatyam for 10 years and Kathakali for 13 years under the tutelage of Kalanilayam Raghavan.