Dr. M. Veerappa Moily was born to Poovamma and Thammayya on January 12, 1940, in the village of Marpadi, in Moodabidre, Coastal Karnataka. The Tulu speaking family worked as landless agricultural labourers by day and as caste Devadigas, they also played musical instruments like the nadaswara and taase in temples. As a young boy of 5 years, he was once witness to their property owner suddenly evicting his family from their house while he was sitting on the lap of his mother, in the middle of a meal. His quest for justice was initiated by this incident. It instilled a steely resolve in him to dedicate his life to fight for the rights of the exploited classes. He never let poverty or social status come in the way of his education.

Dr. M. Veerappa Moily was married to Malathi on 25th FEB. 1965; and they are blessed with three daughters and a son. Mrs. Moily herself is a poet.

Detailed understanding of the Indian economy, fiscal structure and requirement of States from a macro and micro perspective, are just a few of the varied fields that Dr. Moily expresses keen interest in.

Cricket has always been his favourite sports.

Moreover, by virtue of his work, he has visited many countries like Australia, China, France, Kuwait, Nepal, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the U.S.A., and the U.K.