Shyama Charan Shukla was born on 27 February 1925 in Raipur into a Kanyakubja Brahmin family.

[2] His father Ravishankar Shukla was a lawyer, an Indian National Congress politician from Central Provinces and Berar and the first Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

His younger brother, Vidya Charan Shukla, was also an INC politician, a union minister, and a nine-time Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha.

His son Amitesh Shukla is an INC politician and currently a Member of Legislative Assembly of Chhattisgarh from Rajim.

[3] Shyama Charan Shukla was first elected as a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Rajim in 1957.