Looking back over more than five decades in Medicine, I realise that my journey in Rheumatology has been less a planned career and more a sustained academic curiosity, one that has refuse to dim with time. In 1968, upon returning to India after formal training in Boston, USA, I had the privilege and challenge of establishing the specialty of ‘Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology’ (the term that I used for the first time in academic medicine in India) at AIIMS, New Delhi. At the time, the discipline was virtually unknown in the country. There were no structured services, no laboratories offering autoimmune diagnostics, and little awareness that immune-mediated diseases could be systematically studied, diagnosed, and treated.

Those early years were spent building foundations, establishing patient services, setting up laboratories, and introducing immunological tests such as ANA, anti-dsDNA, and anti-ENA assays, which are now taken for granted. What began as a modest clinical service gradually evolved into a robust academic discipline, contributing to both patient care and research. Over the years, this academic engagement has produced more than 500 research publications, approximately 50 book chapters, and three textbooks, including ‘Rheumatology Essentials: A New Frontier for Aspiring Physicians’, whose Hindi edition is now in print, an effort to make rheumatology more accessible to young clinicians across the country.

Yet if I were to identify the most enduring and satisfying aspect of my career, it would not be publications or awards but students. I have had the privilege of training nearly 50 young clinicians, many of whom have gone on to establish rheumatology services across India and abroad, in the USA, UK, and Australia. Watching them grow into leaders, teachers, and innovators has been a quiet yet profound reward. A teacher’s true legacy, after all, resides in the minds and hands of those trained.

People often ask how one remains academically active well into later decades of life. My answer is simple: academic fervour is sustained by curiosity, not age. Medicine evolves relentlessly, and Rheumatology, perhaps more than many other specialties, demands continuous learning. New pathways, novel biologics, targeted synthetic therapies, and precision medicine approaches compel us to remain students throughout our lives. I continue to read daily, engage with journals, participate in academic discussions, mentor younger colleagues, and, most importantly, see patients. Clinical practice keeps one intellectually honest; patients remain the greatest teachers.

The virtual era has transformed how we stay academically connected. While nothing can truly replace bedside teaching or face-to-face discussion, digital platforms have democratized learning. Webinars, virtual conferences, online journal clubs, and global collaborations now allow a clinician in a small town to learn from and interact with experts worldwide. I have embraced these platforms not as replacements but as powerful supplements. The key is to remain selective, disciplined, and engaged, using technology to deepen understanding rather than merely consume information.

To younger colleagues, I would offer this reflection: pursue excellence while remaining humble; chase knowledge while staying compassionate. Academic medicine is not a sprint; it is a lifelong marathon fuelled by integrity, curiosity, and service to patients. Awards may gather dust, and publications may fade from citation lists, but the habits of thinking critically, teaching generously, and caring deeply will never lose relevance.

From this teacher’s desk, the message is simple: stay curious, stay connected, and never stop learning. Rheumatology in India has come a long way, and its future rests securely in the hands of a generation that is brighter, better trained, and more globally connected than ever.

To my colleagues and younger friends in the Indian Rheumatology Association, I remain confident that the spirit of academic inquiry, ethical practice, and compassionate care will continue to guide our specialty toward even greater heights.