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.

[3] He has worked as a teacher at Durga Higher Secondary School, Kanhangad and was also associated with Akashvani.

[1] Aechikkanam was involved in a controversy due to his allegedly casteist remarks at a literary festival.

[4][5] 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.

[3] Aechikkanam is married to Jalsa Menon, who is a college professor and the couple has a son, Mahadevan.