Kottayam: A courtroom lawyer who has led a padayatra from Kottayam to Mullaperiyar, stood up for social causes, entered electoral politics, worked in legal aid, nurtured a film society and continues to read cinema as a reflection of society—Adv. Anil Aickara’s 28-year journey in law has rarely followed a conventional path.
What began as a career in law has grown into a wider engagement with justice, public life, human rights and the arts. Practising in both civil and criminal law, Anil Aickara is a Notary and currently serves as the Chief Legal Aid Defence Counsel of the Kottayam District Legal Services Authority. He is also associated with Southern Railway as its counsel.
Yet his professional identity tells only part of the story. Beyond the courtroom, he has been involved in social movements, human-rights initiatives, cultural activities, sports and cinema—bringing together interests that, at first glance, may seem far removed from one another, but which in his public life are connected by a common concern for people and society.
His 28 years in the legal profession thus represent more than professional experience. They trace the story of a lawyer who has consistently carried his sense of justice from the courtroom into the wider community—and, eventually, into the worlds of cinema, music and culture.
From the Courtroom to Public Causes
Anil Aickara has been actively involved in several public movements, particularly those concerning social justice and public welfare. His involvement in the Mullaperiyar issue included leading a padayatra from Kottayam to Mullaperiyar and undertaking a 25-day hunger strike. He has also participated in several other public agitations.
His commitment to public causes eventually took him into electoral politics. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, he contested from the Kottayam constituency as an Aam Aadmi Party candidate. Attracted by the campaigns and anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, he joined the party during that period. He secured around 28,000 votes and finished third in the Piravom Assembly segment, gaining considerable public attention. He subsequently withdrew from Aam Aadmi Party politics for various reasons.
His social engagement has also included issues concerning the rights and welfare of women, children and people living with HIV.
An interesting chapter in this journey was his association with the Mandaram Charitable Trust, which originated as an online community on the social networking platform Orkut and gradually developed into an offline charitable initiative. Through the collective efforts of its members, the organisation extended care and support to around 30 children affected by HIV.
A Life Closely Connected with Cinema and the Arts
Art, particularly cinema, occupies an important place in Anil Aickara’s public and cultural life.
As the founding Secretary of Thamp Film Society, Kottayam, he has worked to promote cinema as something more than entertainment—as an artistic medium through which humanity, society and the spirit of an era can be explored.
The Society draws its inspiration from G. Aravindan’s Thamp. Through film screenings, discussions and cultural programmes, it seeks to encourage meaningful engagement with cinema while providing a platform for a new generation of filmmakers.
He was also involved in organising the Aravindam National Short Film Festival, held in Kottayam in 2025.
His cultural interests are not confined to cinema. He also leads Nirvrithi Ecstasy, a musical collective that brings together singers and lovers of music in an atmosphere of shared appreciation and artistic companionship.
Reading Cinema Beyond the Screen
Anil Aickara’s relationship with cinema goes beyond watching films. His writings reveal a distinctive way of reading films through their historical period, characters, visual language, music and human relationships.
His recent reflections after revisiting Nakhakshathangal offer a glimpse into this approach. While appreciating the story and characters, his attention also turns to M. T. Vasudevan Nair’s characterisation, Hariharan’s direction, Shaji N. Karun’s cinematography, Bombay Ravi’s music and O. N. V. Kurup’s lyrics.
For him, a great film is also a document of its time—a work capable of preserving and recovering the emotions, memories and sensibilities of an era. His film writings repeatedly underline the importance of bringing outstanding films of earlier generations to the attention of younger audiences.
Law, Writing and Intellectual Engagement
As an advocate, Anil Aickara has been associated with several significant cases and notable judicial outcomes. He was among the early practitioners to actively use the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. One of the protection orders obtained by him attracted considerable attention when a wife was permitted to reside in her matrimonial home despite her husband having begun living with another woman.
His areas of interest extend beyond conventional legal practice to paddy-field and land laws, citizenship and constitutional issues, as well as history, current affairs and poetry.
This range of interests reflects an intellectual curiosity that has remained an integral part of his professional and public life.
Family
Anil Aickara is the son of K. N. Radhakrishnan Nair, a retired BSNL officer, and K. Radhadevi. He belongs to the Aickarapparambil family of Mudiyoorkkara.
His wife, Adv. Rashmi Ramesh, is a Prosecutor at the Ettumanoor Magistrate’s Court. Their daughter, Devayani, is pursuing legal studies at Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram, while their son, Dattatreyan, is a Plus Two student at K. E. School, Mannanam.
A Journey Beyond the Courtroom
From legal arguments in the courtroom to social intervention, and from public causes to the frames of cinema, Anil Aickara’s public life brings together a wide range of interests and responsibilities.
The defining feature of his 28-year professional journey is perhaps this ability to connect law with social responsibility, public life with culture, and professional practice with a continuing love for cinema, music, sport and writing.
Completing 28 years in the legal profession is therefore not merely a measure of professional longevity. It marks a period in which the practice of law has remained closely intertwined with a wider engagement with people, society, justice and the arts.
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