Santhosh Aechikkanam was born in 1971 in a farmer's family in
Bedadka, in
Kasargod district of the Indian state of
Kerala to A. C. Chandran Nair and Shyamala. After graduating in Malayalam and literature, he secured a post graduate diploma in Journalism and mass communication from
Kerala Press Academy. He has worked as a teacher at Durga Higher Secondary School, Kanhangad and was also associated with
Akashvani. His famous short story
Biryani sparked controversy amid allegations that it was part of a deliberate effort to create an anti-Muslim collective consciousness through its narrative. Aechikkanam received the
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story for his short story
Komala (2008). He has also received several other honours, including
Padmaprabha Literary Award, Karur Award, Pravasi Basheer Award, Abudhabi Sakthi Award,
Cherukad Award, V. P. Sivakumar Keli Award, Kolkata Bhasha Sahithya Parishad Award, Delhi Katha Award and Kerala State Television Award for best story. The family lives in
Ayyanthole in
Thrissur district. == Bibliography ==