MALAYSIANSKINI | R Jayaram, who is currently hosting the Tamil edition of ‘Family Feud Malaysia’, has come a long way since he left school after Form 3.

Also known as Ram, he has been through years of hardship, and after some heartfelt advice from his mother, he got himself back on track and now holds a PhD in mass communication.

Well-known as a presenter on the Tamil language radio station Raaga, he is also a sought-after emcee and TV host. His show ‘Family Feud Malaysia’ is currently being aired on Saturdays over on Astro Vinmeen (Channel 202).

Based on a long-running popular game show currently hosted by comedian Steve Harvey in the US, he has already recorded 16 episodes including five special episodes.

The special episodes feature local artists competing to raise funds for Tamil schools in the country. As a result, five schools received RM10,000 each to upgrade their facilities.

Astro has also produced English and Malay language versions of the shows which are expected to be a huge hit with viewers.

“I grew up watching Family Feud and I never imagined I would be doing the Malaysian-Indian version of it. Normally, shows like these would only go to the English and Malay language channels.

“But thanks to Prem Anand (vice-president of Indian customer business at Astro) who has taken local Indian entertainment on Astro to a different level.”

Ram said whenever they talk about creating game shows on Indian channels, they are told to refer to shows done in India. Korean shows are also popular among the Indian community here.

“For the first time, we took a Hollywood show and created a localised Indian version of it. That elevates the show to another level,” he said, adding that he hopes there will be a lot of support from their target audience.

He said in Malaysia, many are exposed to both Hollywood and the Indian entertainment world. But by combining both worlds, the audience here should be able to accept it easily.

Reaching out to youths

Ram, who is a father of two, is also busy running his business ventures and when he can, he tries to reach out to youth who are in danger of dropping out of school.

When asked how he juggles so many things at once, “Horribly!” he said to Malaysiakini during an interview.

“Seriously, I try my best. As much as I love the music industry, the acting, the Indian industry, you know, we only have two million (ethnic Indian) people in Malaysia, so it’s not as lucrative enough.

“So, unfortunately, I have to do business first. So in my priority, business comes first,” said Ram who has invested in a few ventures including farming because he is into natural living.

He spends his weekends on entertainment-related events and once a month tries his best at being involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) events.

“So, it’s a tough balance. I try, and I must admit I’m not that great at it,” he said. He also regrets that he can’t do more.

One of the projects closest to Ram’s heart is going from school to school to reach out to students in danger of dropping out and telling them the options they can pursue via vocational schools.

“I started working when I was 10 years old. I went to school, and after that, I went to work. I worked in a sundry shop.

“If I’m not mistaken, the name of the shop was Ramachandran’s Store. I had to go to school and I had to work in the evenings, and on the weekends as well.

“I left home when I was 15. I finished school and at that time they called it the Sijil Rendah Pelajaran (SRP). One week after that, I was sleeping in bus stations for a few months,” recalled Ram who took up whatever menial job that came his way.

He recalls his mother being furious at his decision. As angry as she was, she told him to never give up his studies as he was a smart boy.

“I’m not blowing my own horn but I am quite sharp. I was a top scorer when I was in Standard 5, which was significant in those days as you can’t go to Standard 6 unless you pass your Standard 5,” he said.

He said as he was, and still is, hot-tempered, and having a difficult relationship with his father who was very strict led to missteps in his early life.

Nonetheless, he eventually did get back where his studies were concerned and about five years ago, he completed his PhD.

“It was just something that, you know, a feather in the hat, something that I promised myself I would do, so I’ve done it.

“I’ve got a bucket list, and I’ve completed most of it,” said Ram when explaining why he did his PhD.

His bucket list

He is also not big on revealing his age.

“I don’t celebrate my birthday because I haven’t completed my bucket list. So I’ve got quite a few more to go, maybe about three or four more things to do. Once I’m done, then I’ll cut my first birthday cake,” said Ram.

He comes from a family of six boys and two girls. He is the second last child and his brother Aananda who is also a radio presenter, emcee, TV host, and all-around entertainer is the youngest of all the siblings.

These two brothers are the only ones in the family who went into showbiz.

As he pointed out, it is not easy to make a living in the entertainment world but somehow he and his brother managed.

“It was not an easy journey. It was a tough journey,” he said, recalling how the brothers performed their music in pubs and travelled abroad with their act.

“We’ve done the whole thing, but we did it before TikTok and Instagram were popular. If we had done it now, it would have been a different thing altogether,” he noted.

Non-academic options

Ram said people are not going to listen to him unless he is someone they can recognise or respect. So being a known celebrity helps when he tries to reach out to young people.

He said when he was struggling in school, he did not have options. Like everyone else, he had to follow the same academic route which is to go up to Form Five and then if possible carry on to study in a university.

However, if you are a B40 student who might be failing in the conventional education route, you might think your future is bleak.

Not so according to Ram who says there are options out there that could put you on the path to success.

“Now, this is what’s going to shock you. In Malaysia, all you need to have is Sijil Berhenti Sekolah,” he said, referring to a special certificate a student receives in Standard 6 and also after Form 3.

He said the government will give you a loan to study in a vocational training college anywhere in the country.

“When I did my module on motivation and training throughout all the schools, I went for the rowdiest schools. I only did it for all the students that were from the D and E classes. Even the teachers who were teaching in those schools did not know this,” he said referring to the scholarships given for vocational training.

Ram, who has been giving these talks for 10 years now, added that the government will give students financial assistance to relocate to a vocational college, to buy a laptop, and as a monthly allowance.

“Guess what? You can get a diploma within two years. You can pursue your degree in a normal university,” he said.

He said this option has been available for the past 10 to 15 years.

Ram said one cannot help being born poor. But they can always do something to improve their lot in life.

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. This is what I’ve been trying to tell 13, 14, and 15-year-olds, including their teachers.

“They’re not privy to all this information because they are stuck in the academic stream,” he said.

Getting the right skills

Gone are the days when the highest earners are doctors, lawyers, or engineers, Ram said. These days, contractors, plumbers, electricians, and other manual labourers are making a good living.

“Vocational schools are under the Human Resource Ministry. The exams are conducted by the ministry itself. They come to your college with another person called pakar industri (industry expert).

“So if you are studying hair styling, an industry expert will conduct the examination. He or she comes to your college, conducts the exam, goes back, and after a month or maybe 15 days, you’ll receive your certification from the government.

“It is similar to your SPM or UPSR or whatever. It is called Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia or Diploma Kemahiran Malaysia.

“That means when you go to another country, your certification is not issued by a college, it’s issued by the government. Which carries more weight than a certificate issued by a college or university.”

Ram was honoured for his work and has even received an award from former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Right now he is trying to recover from the MCO. “I have to concentrate on my business first. You can’t put food into everybody else’s mouth unless you have enough in your hand,” he said.

MALAYSIANSKINI is a series on Malaysians you should know.

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