Born and educated in Chennai, Prema Seetharam holds degrees in Chemistry, History, Library Science, and French. In collaboration with Uma Narayanan, she has translated literary fiction from Tamil and French into English. The Tamil-English translations include Lamps in the Whirlpool and When the Kurunji Blooms, both by Rajam Krishnan, as well as Ambai, Novellas and Essays. The works from French to English are Empire of Dust and Jahanara. Prema Seetharam has worked extensively with the visually impaired and has set up Braille and Audio libraries for them.