Jyothi Vijayakumar inspires crowds for Congress

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress now has a new charming face to woo the crowds at the family meeting being held in connection with Indira Gandhi’s birth centenary celebrations. She is Jyothi Vijayakumar, 37, a practising lawyer, TV anchor and former techie, print journalist and student leader. An admirer of Indira Gandhi, she also had won praise from Congress president  Sonia Gandhi for ably translating her speech during her visit to the city in May last. Not only that, she also translated  the pamphlets brought out by the AICC on Indira Gandhi titled ‘Indira Gandhi, life of struggle.’  This prompted the KPCC to invite her to speak at the family gatherings and she has been enthralling the audience since then with her inspiring speeches.

Jyothi enlivened the family meetings at Kuriyathi ward on Friday, which was inaugurated by Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala, and Manacaud on Saturday,  inaugurated by KPCC president M. M. Hassan. A Congress leader told DC that Jyothi  ensured the active participation of the audience when they reminisced about Indira Gandhi and the  Congress party’s journey  over the last several decades. “The crowds get carried away by Jyothi’s speeches or rather debates. She will  excel as a politician, but only if she joins a group in the Congress,”  he said.

Daughter of D. Vijayakumar, former Alappuzha DCC general secretary and the current president of Chengannur co-operative bank, and Radhika, a homemaker, Jyothi was previously working in an IT company in Technopark in its corporate communications department. Jyothi told DC, “I had dabbled in the print media and corporate communications in an IT company,  but my interests lay elsewhere. When I speak at party functions, I am thrilled as there is a natural connection. None has invited me to join politics, but I hope that eventually I will end up there,” said Jyothi who also teaches sociology at Kerala State Civil Service Academy and in some other private civil service coaching centres.

Jyothi is married to R. Paari, an IT professional from Tamil Nadu who is currently based in Bengaluru. Their only son Govardhan is in the kindergarten who accompanies her to party gatherings. A post-graduate in English literature, Jyothi was the first woman chairperson of Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram,  in 1999. She holds a PG diploma in journalism from Thiruvananthapuram Press Club and is a law graduate. Jyothi practises in Vanchiyoor court and is  pursuing her LLM course.  She is also a television anchor with Doordarshan.