Ravishankar Shukla (2 August 1877 — 31 December 1956)[1] was a leader of the Indian National Congress, Indian independence movement activist, the Premier of the Central Provinces and Berar from 27 April 1946 to 25 January 1950, first Chief Minister of the reorganised Madhya Pradesh state from 1 November 1956 until his death on 31 December 1956, he was elected from Saraipali in Madhya Pradesh (now in Chhattisgarh).

[4] His father, Pandit Jagganath Shukla, came of a family which had resisted British rulers for three generations and his mother, Tulsi Devi, was industrious and a capable manager.

Young Ravishankar's earliest years were passed in a scholarly atmosphere heavily charged with Indian classics, Shri Ramcharit Manas and Gita.

[citation needed] In 1904, he took along with him the Maharaja of Bastar to Congress session at Bombay, where he saw barrister Mahatma Gandhi for the first time, who had just arrived from South Africa.

Within a few years of starting his legal practice, Shukla was a great success as a pleader in the courts of Raipur.

[citation needed] In a meeting of State Congress Committee held at Raipur, Pandit Dwarika Prasad Mishra suggested to name Hindi speaking part of the Central Provinces and Berar as Mahakoshal.

D. P. Mishra along with Chief of Mahakoshal Congress Committee Seth Govind Das toured the entire Central Provinces to propagate the importance of Satyagrah movement.

[citation needed] While imprisoned Pandit Shukla was again elected president of Raipur District Council on 24 October 1930.

[citation needed] To infuse national awakening in the State Pandit Shukla started a Weekly Hindi Magazine Mahakoshal from Nagpur in 1935.

[citation needed] The British authorities had formed the Central Provinces in 1861 by uniting the former State of Nagpur with the Territory of Saugor-Nerbudda.

The two linguistic regions, which comprised the province, had distinctive societies and developed, in course of time, differing economies.

In July 1946, Pandit Shukla pointedly observed that no princely state could prevail militarily against the army of independent India.

Sardar Patel was overwhelmed to see smooth merger of princely states with the Indian Union in CP & Berar.

The introduction of various schemes, establishment of industries, commissioning of Bhilai Steel Plant and starting of many universities were among the great achievements.

Pandit Shukla dominated the Indian political scene, not only before the ten years of his Premier and Chief Ministership, but for decades after his passing away.