His parents Kallu of Belapratapgadh and Ragnathi of Jawanpur in India were among the last load of indentured labourers who arrived in 1916 abroad the Sutlej.
Like other second generation Fiji Indians, his early life was spent working on the family farm with no prospect of any education.
Ram's desire and inspiration to fight for the rights of farmers began in 1939 when he first came in contact with the founder and first general secretary of Fiji Kisan Sangh, the late Pandit Ajodhya Prasad.
Any one caught attending these meetings were given seven days notice by Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR) to vacate their farms and people were afraid to join the union.
The Kisan Sangh reiterated its opposition to the legislation on 7 July and again on 17 August, with Ram saying on both occasions that the bill would only aggravate tensions between the races, and would be a recipe for further coups in future.