Nayar was born as Karunakaran Pillai, one of the six children of Kandamkalathil Sankara Panicker and Parvathy Amma at
Central Travancore ( present-day
Kuttanad,
Kerala ) in 1907. His original name was Karunakaran Pillai, also known as Karunakaran Nair. '
Pillai' is a title of nobility in Travancore, while '
Nair' indicates his caste,
Nairs interchangeably use both surnames. He completed his early education from
Sanatana Dharma Vidyashala, Alleppey,
SMV High School, Thiruvananthapuram,
University College Thiruvananthapuram (then under
University of Madras) Barah Saini College, Aligarh (Agra University)(1954-56) and
University College London (1928-30). == Public career ==