Disability turns into desire, Pillai fulfills his dream of becoming a lawyer

KOLLAM:The disability in legs did not prevent Sivasankara Pillai from achieving his dream of becoming an advocate. He was happy in fulfilling a dream which he had from age 17 at the age of 57.

When Pillai was 17, the country was plunged into a state of emergency. The Rajan case that followed left the country in tears. Pillai who was a student at NSS College, Nilamel filed a habeas corpus which became a topic of discussion in college. He decided to become an advocate and fight for the denial of justice. Now Sivasankara Pilla, aged 63, is a notable lawyer in Kottarakara Court.

He was the third son among the seven children of Chadayamangalam natives Sankaranarayanan and Lakshmikutty. Although Pillai was born with deformity in his legs , he excelled in studies. He completed BA Economics and joined LLB. Before writing the exam, he got job as an LD clerk. In 1984, he joined the Punalur court. In 1988, he passed the law examination. After his retirement in 2013, he started practising in Kottarakara court. Everybody including senior lawyers welcomed him. Pillai had the support of his wife Prabhavathi, who had retired from the Water Authority, and his son Vishnu Shankar, an MA student.

'Nobody has ridiculed me when I became a lawyer. My disability was never a problem for me. I wish to continue practice for another 10 years.' says K Sivasankara Pillai.