He was born at Nagercoil in a Tamil Brahmin family on 18 May 1899 as the eldest of twelve children of Rao Bahadur Mahadeva Nilakanta Ayyar (an executive engineer [1] ).
[3] His younger brothers included Prof N.A.Subramanian, an advocate specializing in Constitutional Law and Vice Admiral Nilakanta Krishnan.
From 1936 to 1942 he served as deputy secretary to the Industries and Labour Department, and then as the first chairman of the Coal Mines Stowing Board in 1939.
In 1943 he served for a term as director and secretary of Civil Supplies, Government of Bengal, and then as Provincial Transport Commissioner.
[3][5] While serving as the chairman, Coal Mining Stowing Board, Ayyar was awarded Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE)in 1941[6] and later Honorary Lieutenant Colonel.