His family, including his parents, an older brother and a younger sister, made a meagre living on their five-hectare farm growing wheat, rice and maize.

Unlike most children in his socioeconomic position, he was encouraged to pursue an education by his parents, and graduated from secondary school as the top-ranked student in the entire Varanasi District.

He was recruited by and worked alongside scientists Norman Borlaug and his deputy, Canadian Glenn Anderson, in experimental wheat fields in El Batan (Texcoco), and in the Mexican cities of Toluca and Ciudad Obregon, Sonora.

During his distinguished career, Rajaram's work resulted in the release of more than 480 varieties of bread wheat in 51 countries, which are grown on more than 58 million hectares worldwide.

[5] Rajaram, an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences,[7] was also the owner and director of Resource Seed Mexicana, a small private company specializing in wheat development and promotion.