 Sekhar was born on 17 November 1929 at the Ulu Bulu Estate (now Malayan Glass).His place of birth is located near the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia's (RRIM) 3,400 acre experimental station at Sungai Buloh, which he developed during his tenure into one of the most comprehensively equipped research centres.He started as a chemist at RRIM in 1949 and led research, particularly in physiochemical changes in natural rubber.