prof-satheeshpaul
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Prof. Satheesh Paul

Satheesh Paul is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering. Winner of Academic Merit Scholarships in 3 different countries, India, Italy and Canada. A multi-tasking person with a long list of achievements in Academics, Science, Engineering, Technology, Research, Teaching, Arts, Sports, Literature and Low Budget Film Making, doing all at the same time.

Education and Alma Mater
( Main Stream )

  • SSLC ( 82% marks ) De Paul English Medium High school, Thodupuzha.
  • Pre Degree ( 85% marks for optional ) Christ College, Irinjalakuda.
  • B.Tech. ( 62 % marks ) Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam.
  • M.Sc.(Engg.) ( 82 % marks ) School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Canada.
  • Ph.D. ( 80 % marks ) School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Canada.

Education and Alma Mater ( Certificate Courses )

  • University Teaching : Theory and Practice ( University of Guelph, Canada )
  • Space Physics : Materials in Microgravity  ( International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy )
  • ANSYS Level 1 ( University of Toronto, Canada )
  • AutoCAD Level 3, AutoLISP Programming ( CAD-CAM Institute, Sheridan College, Toronto )
  • Screenplay Writing ( Writers’ Guild, Toronto )
  • Camera Theory, Editing ( Liaison of Independent Film Makers of Toronto )
  • Director’s Vision ( Summer Institute of Film and Television, Ottawa, Canada )

Undergraduate Level Achievements

  • First Rank in LSS Merit Scholarship Exam in Muvattupuzha Educational District
  • USS National Merit Scholarship
  • SSLC National Merit Scholarship
  • SSLC Hindi State Merit scholarship
  • Twice the Winner of Sasthrakeralam Science Scholarship
  • Twice the Winner of Hindi Prachar Sabha Scholarship
  • 8th Rank in Kerala State in the NCERT National Talent Search Scholarship Examination
  • Winner of 3 times the First Rank and 2 times the Second Rank at the State Level in various Science Talent Examinations ( a record still un-broken )
  • Selected as the Best Student of the Kerala State Science Fair
  • Won a number of General Knowledge Quiz Competitions at the State Level
  • National Runner-up in the All India Physics Quiz Competition conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai
  • First Malayali to win a Science Quiz Competition at the National Level
  • Two times the National Finalist in the All India Science and Technology Quiz Competition conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
  • Had been a well known Quiz Master in the state in the inter-collegiate circuit
  • Winner of SIJAR-82 National Award for Meritorious Agro-Machinery Inventions
  • Developed the `Grammatic Filters’ Algorithm, which won the TRYST-87 National Contest conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
  • First student to win Kerala Government’s highest research grant which he used for experimenting Uni-flow Engine for Micro Diesel Car he made
  • Research Achievement Award from the IEEE students’ Chapter
  • Selected to the International Workshop on Space Physics held in Italy, by the European Space Agency and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, with scholarship
  • Received Patent Assistance and Research Grant from the National Research Development Corporation of India
  • Travel Scholarship from Mahatma Gandhi University
  • Four Year Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala

Masters Level Achievements

  • Masters Research Degree in Engineering from the University of Guelph, Canada
  • Completed the course work with 82% marks
  • Selected as the Best Masters Research in Engineering at University of Guelph and nominated for the H.S. Armstrong Award
  • Invented a Frying Oil Quality Sensor, which received US Patent
  • University of Guelph selected this invention for commercialization
  • Presented Research Papers in various National and International Conferences
  • Published Reasearch Papers in International Refereed Journals
  • Advanced expertise in AutoLISP programming
  • Worked on various industrial projects in India and Canada

Ph.D. Level Achievements

  • During Ph.D. research at University of Guelph, he proposed a new theory called the ‘Critical Point Theory’
  • Winner of NSERC, the highest scholarship awarded by the Canadian Government for outstanding Ph.D. students
  • First Indian student to win this prestigious scholarship in engineering at University of Guelph
  • Won the Graduate Scholarship for entering Ph.D. students at University of Guelph
  • Completed the course work with 80% marks
  • Invented an Advanced Frying Oil Quality Sensor System
  • Elected to the post of Social Director of Graduate Engineering Society at Guelph
  • Elected office bearer at the Malayali Engineering Graduates Association in Toronto

After completing 2 years of full time study and after finishing the entire theoretical work at University of Guelph, his doctoral program came to an abrupt end, due to lack of research funding. To protect his intellectual property rights, he registered this theoretical work as a Ph.D. thesis with an Open International University. However he does not use any doctoral designation, as it is not recognized in India. This theoretical work has been published as a book titled ‘Critical Point Theory’ for experts’ scrutiny and defense. He is still looking for research funds to conduct experiments to verify his theory.

Arts

  • Winner of 3 prizes in Calicut University Arts Festival in Elocution and Drama Competitions
  • Held the Rare Distinction of winning Elocution Competitions in 3 different languages, English, Malayalam and Hindi at the State Level or University level Competitions
  • Best Debater in Debating Competitions

Literature

  • Won the Second Place in Kerala State in Science Fiction Short Story Writing Competition, at the age of 14
  • At the age of 17, he became the Youngest Science Fiction Novelist in India
  • His novel `Thanutha Samavaakyam’ is considered by many, to be the best science fiction work in Malayalam

Sports

  • Prizes in All Kerala Inter Engineering Athletic Meet and in Ernakulam District Amateur Athletic Meet in Tripple Jump and Long Jump
  • Member of the Trissur District Wrestling Team
  • Member of the Christ College Wrestling Team that won the Bronze in the Calicut University Wrestling Championship
  • Finished 16th in FAS-87 Motor-cycle Rally
  • Played Football, Basket-ball, Shuttle Badminton and Cricket at the inter-collegiate and inter-club levels
  • Member of the Directors’ Eleven Celebrity Cricket Team

Books Published

  • Cold Equation ( Science Fiction Novel )
  • Oru Mazhakkalath ( Screenplay )
  • Kattu Vithachavar ( Sreenplay )
  • Critical Point Theory (Original Research)
  • A Text Book on Engineering Graphics (Text Book)
  • Anubhauthikathile Sankalppanangal (Concepts in Atomic Physics)

Teaching Career

Associate professor in Mechanical Engineering with 11 years of full time teaching experience in both India and Canada. Completed a Canadian Certificate Course in University Teaching. Subject specialization includes Engineering Graphics, Engineering Mechanics, Vector Mechanics, Engineering Design, Thermodynamics, Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics and Bio-process Engineering.

In Kerala, he taught at SCMS College of Engineering at Karukutti, Nehru College of Engineering at Pampady, Ottapalam, Indira Gandhi Womens’ Engineering College at Kothamangalam and ILM College of Engineering at Perumbavoor. He was consistently ranked as the Best Teacher by the students at every institution he taught. He was also voted by the undergraduate students as the Second Best Teaching Assistant in Engineering at University of Guelph, Canada.

He authored a text book on Engineering Graphics, which is considered to be the most student-friendly text book ever published on the subject. As demonstrated in his text book, he is also the only teacher to develop new and easy problem solving methods in Engineering Graphics, since the introduction of this subject in 1967.

Industry Career

He was a member of the engineering team that conceived and designed Kishkinta Amusement Park in Chennai, by Navodaya Studios. Automated the design procedure at KS Industries in Toronto, using spread-sheet and AutoLISP programming. Developed the thermal process analysis for the liquid quick line of products at the Nestle’ Canada plant in Chesterville, Ottawa.

Film Career

He had his first exposure to film making at Navodaya Studio under the eminent director Jijo Punnoose. While an engineering student in Kerala, he got his first title credit for Mechanical Special Effects in movie ‘Chanakyan’ directed by T.K. Rajeev Kumar.

While doing post-graduation in engineering, he also went to night schools in Canada to study cinema academically. He took 22 courses in film making, ranging from direction to make-up. After returning to Kerala, he also got trained under the well known film directors Siddique-Lal. He was the script associate for the movie ‘Chronic Bachelor’ directed by Siddique. He also contributed to the story of film ‘For the People’ directed by Jayaraj.

Finger-print

Later he developed his own story and directed his first film ‘Finger-print.’ The film shot in 2004 and released on 11th February 2005 is an investigation story that used the possibilities of forensic science, more than in any other film. The story is about 2 equally brilliant police officers investigating the same case, but interpreting the same evidence with totally opposing views, while both seem to be logically correct. This difficult conflict is maintained throughout the film until climax. It is a story structure that had never been used before in any other film. This successful ‘transcending of genre’ deserves critical acclaim, although no critics took notice of it.

The shooting of Finger-print took only 23 days and the film was released on the 59th day after ‘pooja’. Since the film was not a great commercial success, he went back to teaching and stayed away from the film field for years.

Drishyam Piracy Case

In 2009, he wrote his next screenplay ‘Oru Mazhakkalaath’ and published it as a book. However, this investigation story was later pirated to make the film ‘Drishyam.’ The legal battle on copyright violation that followed is not over yet and presently in the High Court of Kerala. At the structural level, Drishyam has 89% similarity to Oru Mazhakkaalath, as evident in the Histogram attached along with. The comparison shown in the Histogram was never challenged by the makers of Drishyam, in the court of law.

Kattu Vithachavar

In 2016, he published his next screenplay ‘Kattu Vithachavar,’ which is also an investigation story based on ‘Rajan case’ that created unprecedented turmoil in Kerala politics. Starting from early naxal history in Kerala, the script narrates the story of police investigation against police, to unravel what happened to Rajan, the engineering student who disappeared in 1976, during the emergency period.

The book was well received by the readers. While serving as the main faculty at Oriental Film Institute in Calicut, he led his students and colleagues to make this film at an extreme low budget. Most likely, it is the first time in the world, any film institute made a commercial film as part of training the students, creating a new record. The film released on 02 November 2018 was critically acclaimed. The film also won the Kerala State Film Critics Special Jury Award for the Best Investigation Film in 2018. It is considered one of the Best Docu-fiction Movies in Malayalam. Click for Trailer and Song.

Guardian

His third film Guardian was released on 01 January 2021. It became the first commercial hit of the year 2021. It was also the launching film for Prime reels, the first OTT platform exclusively developed for releasing Malayalam films. Guardian is critically acclaimed as one of the best in vestigation films in Malayalam

Infact, Guardian is the very same screenplay published earlier as the book titled 'Oru Mazhakkaalath', without any change. Most spectators who did not know about the court case on copy right violation commented that Guardian is a copy of 'Drishyam', thus proving conclusively that 'Drishyam' is copy of of 'Oru Mazhakkaalath' and the merit of the court case. Press feedbacks to see a few of such comments.

Personal Life

Satheesh Paul was born in Muvattupuzha and grew up in Nellimattom near Kothamangalam, where he lives now. His early schooling was at St.John’s High School Nellimattom, where his parents had been teachers. Later, he was sent to De Paul English Medium Boarding School at Thodupuzha, one of the top schools in Kerala at that time.

Although successful in academics, his life was full of misfortunes, setbacks and losses. He is a well known victim of teachers abusing the internal assessment in engineering colleges. His study at Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam destroyed his normal life and career. However, he was offered post-graduate admissions in a number of universities abroad.

After completing undergraduate studies in Kerala, he immigrated to Canada where he did his post-graduation. When his doctoral studies came to an unfair end due to lack of research funding, it also in part led to his failure in married life. With great disappointment, he left Canada and returned to India to pursue a career in teaching. Now he is divorced and leads a lonely life focusing on academics and film making. Despite the many bitter experiences in life, he maintains a positive attitude and continues to fight the odds.

Sheldon Abraham Parathundiyil

Satheesh's only child Sheldon Abraham Parathundiyil was born and brought up in Toronto, Canada. His early education was at Montessori School. His academic achievements are as below.

  • Class Topper and Valedictorian of Mayfield Secondary School, Toronto with 95% marks
  • Winner of E.J. Krueger Economics and Political Science Award
  • Letter of Merit (Arts) Award
  • Mar Thoma Church Academic Merit Award in North America and Europe Diocese
  • Ontario Scholar Award from the Ontario Ministry of Education
  • Four Year Bachelors Degree in Public Affairs and Policy Management (BPAPM) from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada with High Distinction (94% marks)
  • Senate Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement at Carleton University
  • Faculty Commendation for securing Record-Breaking Marks in Law Courses at Carleton University
  • Winner of the Best Essay in Underhill Undergraduate Colloquium
  • He was also an elected Undergraduate Senator, and Student Government Representative at Carleton
  • Model Parliamentarian, Indigenous Student Mentor and UN Society Delegate at Carleton
  • Outside of academics, he is a seasoned stage performer, writer, director, theatre creator and columnist
  • He directed the stage play ‘Fahrenheit 451’ for Sock ‘n’ Baskin Theatre Company in Ottawa, where he also received the Best Actor Award, Best Chemistry Award and the MVP Award
  • He is proficient in English, French, Hindi and Urdu
  • He also worked as a Junior Analyst for the Department of National Defense, Canada
  • He was heavily involved in Student Politics and Indigenous Sovereignty Activism in Canada
  • Presently, he is a Third Year Law Student at University of Victoria, Canada
  • He was one of the only 20 students admitted nationwide each year to a 4 year Dual Degree Program in both Canadian Common Law and Indigenous Legal Orders

His wife is Olivia Sarah Compton Botelho. She is also a Senate Medalist from Carleton University and currently working for the Government of British Columbia, Canada

Sheeba Paul

Satheesh’s ex-wife Sheeba Paul lives in Toronto. Her academic achievements are as below.

  • Winner of Ontario Scholar Award from the Ontario Ministry of Education, Canada
  • Four year Bachelors Degree in Chemistry from University of Toronto
  • Another four year Bachelors Degree in Environmental Engineering from University of Guelph, Canada, securing 7th Rank
  • Masters Degree in Environmental Engineering from University of Guelph
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Land Use Planning from University of Alberta, Canada
  • Registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in Ontario Province, Canada
  • Taught Chemistry and Calculus at Sheridan College, Toronto
  • Presently working as a Senior Environmental Engineer with HGC Engineering in Toronto

Immediate Family

Satheesh is the only son of late T.J. Paulose and late M.Y. Annamma. His father was a Biology Teacher who received recognition from NCERT, for incorporating innovative methods in science teaching. His father also received a number of prestigious awards from the Y’s Men International, where he served as a District Governor. His mother was a Hindi Teacher trained in Agra.

His only sister Dr. Rani Paul MBBS, MRCP (UK) was 20th Rank in Kerala State in SSLC Examination and Winner of I.P. Sukumar Award in Cardiology from Christian Medical College, Vellore. She is married to Dr. Anil Ninan MBBS, MD. They are settled in UK. Their daughter Dr. Ann Susan Ninan MBchB, MRCP (UK) is currently specializing in Rheumatology at Cardiff University, UK and married to Dr. Calum Richard Jones MBchB, MRCP, currently specializing in Radiology. Rani’s son Rohan Jacob Ninan is an Economics graduate from Swansea University, UK and presently an Officer Trainee with the prestigious British Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Rani’s in-laws are late P.N. Ninan, Chartered Accountant and late Dr. Lillykkutty MBBS, MD, Palamoottil House, Mavelikkara. Rani’s sister in-law Dr. Leena MBBS and her husband Biju, Chartered Accountant are settled in Philadelphia, USA.

Family Background

Satheesh hails from an ancient family which pioneered agriculture and farming in the eastern regions of Ernakulam district in Kerala. However, many of his ancestors showed great interest in academic learning too. They joined hands to build churches and schools, dating back to 1340 AD.

His earliest ancestor whom we know by name is Rev. Fr. Joseph Kashisha, a Syrian Orthodox Christian priest who lived about 500 years ago in Kothamangalam. His son Mathew was a well known scholar at that time. He authored a book titled ‘Kashkul’ in Kaldaya Syrian language, in 1585 AD. It is the oldest book of its kind existing today, and referenced as No.20 in Orientalia Christiana Analecta (221), published from Rome. The archaeology department has valued this book at Rs.300000. It is now preserved in Kaldaya Bishop’s House in Trissur.

Following the legacy, many of his present family members and relatives by marriage happen to be academic rank holders. Their achievements had a great influence on Satheesh since childhood to focus on academics. They are

  • M.V. Yohannan ( Diwan’s Gold Medal for Top Student, during British rule)
  • Dr. D. Babu Paul B.Sc.(Engg.), M.A., IAS ( 3rd Rank in SSLC in Kerala State, 1st Rank in M.A. Defense and Strategic Studies, Madras University, 7th Rank in IAS )
  • Roy Paul B.Sc.(Engg.), IAS ( 11th Rank in SSLC in Karala State, 19th Rank in IAS )
  • Prof. M.P. Varghese B.A., M.A., M.Lit., Former MLA ( Gold Medal in Economic Theory, Travancore University )
  • Pathrose Ulahannan ( State Award and National Award for The Best Teacher )
  • Prof. Vinny Varghese B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. ( Award for the Best Principal in Kerala, Higginsbotham Award for one of the Best 5 Principals in India )
  • T.P. Skaria ( Karshaka Sree Award from Malayala Manorama for The Best Farmer in Kerala)
  • M. Johny B.Sc. ( Decoration of Chevalier from the Syrian Orthodox Church for Outstanding Sunday School Teaching and Administration )
  • Adv. K.C. Abraham B.A., B.L. ( 1st Rank in Law, Madras University )
  • Prof. Paul K. Mathew B.Sc.(Engg.), M.Tech., Ph.D. ( 1st Rank in Civil Engineering, Kerala University)
  • John Peters B.Sc.(Engg.), MS ( 1st Rank in Mechanical Engineering, Calicut University)
  • Adv. Jelly Shibu LLB, LLM ( 1st Rank in LLB and 1st Rank in LLM, Mahatma Gandhi University )
  • E.J. Daisy ( 2nd Rank in B.A., 3rd Rank in M.A. Psychology, Kerala University)
  • Sajeeve Thomas B.Sc., B.E., MBA ( 190th Rank in All India Entrance Exam, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore)
  • Dr. Basil Abraham B.Tech., Ph.D. ( 1st Rank in Electronics Engineering, Mahatma Gandhi University )
  • Sindhu Lawrence B.Sc., M.Sc., B.Ed. ( 1st Rank in Statistics, Mahatma Gandhi University )
  • Dr. Rani Paul MBBS, MRCP ( 20th Rank in SSLC in Kerala State, I.P.Sukumar Award in Cardiology from Christian Medical College, Vellore )
  • Sheeba Abraham B.Sc.(Honors.), B.Sc.(Engg.), M.Eng., P.Eng. ( 7th Rank in Environmental Engineering, University of Guelph, Canada )
  • Asst. Prof. Liya Elizabeth Sunny B.Tech., M.Tech. ( 3rd Rank in M.Tech. Computer Science, IGNOU, New Delhi )
  • Sheldon Abraham Parathundiyil (Senate Medalist, Carleton University, Canada)
  • Olivia Sarah Sheldon (Senate Medalist, Carleton University, Canada)