Tan Sri G.K. Rama Iyer is the former Secretary-General of the Primary Industries Ministry. He did much for the civil service in the years following independence.

Born in 1932 in Penang

Penang

Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...

, his father is V.K. Ganapathy Iyer, a teacher at Penang Free School

Penang Free School

Penang Free School is a secondary school located on Jalan Masjid Negeri , George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Although the medium of instruction is now Malay, Penang Free School was the first English-medium school in South East Asia. It is widely recognised as one of Penang's premier schools and alumni...

. Rama himself was educated in Penang Free School.

He is related to Toh Puan Umasundari Sambanthan

Uma Sambanthan

Toh Puan Umasundari Sambanthan née Subramaniam is the wife of the late Tun V.T. Sambanthan, former Malayan Labour Minister, president of the Malaysian Indian Congress and regarded as one of the founding fathers of Malaysia. She is an activist, social worker and leading figure of the cooperative...

, through his wife, Puan Sri Vijayalakshmi who is her first cousin. Uma’s husband, Tun Sambanthan

V. T. Sambanthan

Tun Thirunyanasambanthan Thevar s/o Veerasamy Thevar, better known as Tun V.T. Sambanthan Thevar, was the fifth President of Malaysian Indian Congress and one of the Founding Fathers of Malaysia along with Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tan Cheng Lock...

 is regarded as one of the founding fathers of Malaysia and was a cabinet minister and president of the Malaysian Indian Congress.

He is also related to Huzir Sulaiman

Huzir Sulaiman

Huzir Sulaiman is a Malaysian actor, director and writer. One of Malaysia's leading dramatists, acclaimed for his vibrant, inventive use of language and incisive insight into human behavior in general and the Asian psyche in particular...

, acclaimed Malaysian theatre personality. Huzir’s father, Haji Sulaiman Abdullah (born G. Srinivasan Iyer) and Rama are brothers.