Saravanan's family originated from North Arcot district of Tamil Nadu. Born and raised in at his family home on Jalan Raja Muda, Kuala Lumpur, Saravanan was the only child of a rubber tapper and a housewife. Despite his family's financial struggles, Saravanan's parents ensured that he had completed his education to secure his future.

Between 1975 and 1980, Saravanan attended Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (T) Jalan Fletcher in Kuala Lumpur. There, he was appointed as the Head Prefect. Saravanan developed a passion for public speaking and won a public speaking competition at National level when he was 10 years old.

Saravanan attended Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jalan Temerloh, Kuala Lumpur from 1981 until 1986, where he continued to actively participate in extracurricular activities and once again appointed as a Prefect and the President of Indian Youth Club.

Right after Saravanan completed his secondary school education, his father passed away. He was then responsible for supporting his family, which prompted him to work during the day and study during the night . The former Secretary-General of MIC, DP Vijendran, helped Saravanan land a job as an office clerk at Maika Holdings[8] while pursuing his studies at Kolej TLMC, which managed a number of courses from Swansea Institute of Higher Education[9] (University of Wales[10]).

Saravanan joined the Malaysian police force, Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM)[11] in 1989 and was stationed in Dang Wangi Police Station, Kuala Lumpur. In 1993, he furthered his studied in Hammersmith & West London College, England and was awarded a Diploma in Business and Management as well as a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Upon his return to Malaysia, Saravanan commenced his post as a Marketing Executive at Easy Call Pagers.[12]

Saravanan was elected as Secretary in MIC for the district of Titiwangsa in 1994. Then, in 1997 he was appointed as the Secretary in MIC Federal Territory by Datuk Seri Samy Vellu, the former President of MIC Federal Territory. During his post as the Secretary of MIC Federal Territory, Saravanan also held the positions of Secretary of Pemuda MIC Nasional and Leader of MIC for the district of Titiwangsa.

In 2004, the President of MIC nominated Saravanan as Senator, which allowed him to serve two terms in Dewan Negara. During those terms, Saravanan has gained audience at international level from countries such as Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, France, and the United Nations in New York.

Saravanan was elected as a member of Majlis Tertinggi MIC in 2003 and then again in 2006, which encouraged Datuk Seri Samy Vellu to elect him as MIC Information Chief and Federal Territory MIC Communications Director.

In the 12th General Election in 2008, Saravanan contested for a Parliament seat for Tapah[13] and won against a candidate from People's Justice Party (PKR). Under the Barisan Nasional coalition and then-Prime Minister, Tun Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi, Saravanan was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Federal Territories[14] and Urban Wellbeing from 2008 until 2013. In the 13th General Election, Saravanan also won a seat in the Parliament and was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports[15] from 2013 until 2018. In 2020, Saravanan was appointed as the Minister of Human Resource[16] under the new government coalition, Perikatan Nasional, and Prime Minister Tan Sri Dato' Muhyiddin Yassin.

•  Malaysia :
  • Member of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (AMN) (1998)
•  Federal Territory (Malaysia) :
  • Knight Commander of the Order of the Territorial Crown (PMW) - Datuk (2014)[21]
  • Grand Commander of the Order of the Territorial Crown (SMW) - Datuk Seri (2018)[22]
•  Malacca :
  • Companion Class I of the Order of Malacca (DMSM) - Datuk (2007)