Having a law degree to his credit and belonging to a family of judges (he is great grandson of H Ramakrishna Iyer, Judge at the Travancore High Court, his father R. Harihara Iyer retired as a District and Sessions Judge), H Ramakrishnan practices as an advocate at the Madras High Court. He has experience starting and running industries like mineral water plants and milk processing plants and offers consultancy services. A writer and an avid reader, he has written a couple of books on the Hindu religion. He has also contributed to the columns of The Hindu, Indian Express, Dinamani, Kalki, Tuglaq, ChennaiOnline.com. He is married to Vasanthaa and has four children.