Rai was born in an affluent Tulu speaking Bunt family of landlords.He completed his education at Government college, Madras University and Karnataka University earning the degrees of B.A.
[citation needed] Rai's public life started with his active participation in the movement against the merger of Kasaragod with Kerala in 1956.
He served as the president of Kasargod Municipal Council from 1968 to 1979 and got elected to the Lok Sabha from Kasaragod constituency thrice in the year 1980, 1989 and 1991.
[5] He had withdrawn himself from public life due to ill health.
An atheist by conviction, his body was donated to the Pariyaram Medical College as per his wishes instead of being cremated according to the traditional Hindu rites of the Bunt community to which he belonged.