My 6-year tenure as Editor-in-Chief of the coveted Indian Journal of Surgery is going to end in December 2024—the last issue that I will edit. Online published articles will be accommodated in the subsequent issues. I welcome Professor Vikram Kate as the new Editor-in-Chief who will hold the baton for the next 6 years. It was in August 2018 when a few friends rang up asking me to file my nomination for the post of Chief Editor. Though initially reluctant, yet with the persuasion and unopposed contest in the election because the other 3 contestants withdrew in my favour, I felt to be conferred with the honour of editing the internationally well-known Journal of Surgery. The wide-ranging subject of general surgery did not bother me as content editing and research methodology were my forte. Paradoxical situations enamoured me with how to cope with the intellectuals brought up and tailored the Journal in the English fashion. This was an English-language journal, and English was my 2nd language. I was worried because in India we have a colonial mindset always picking on the wrong pronunciation and use of the English language. I grew up in a small town and studied in a government Hindi medium school. My inspiration was Shashi Godbole a role played by famous Bollywood actress Sridevi in Gauri Shinde’s film English-Vinglish who struggled and won.

English is an official language in 67 different countries—mostly erstwhile English colonies. Everyone has their own spin on the lingua franca. The USA, India, Nigeria and the Philippines have more English-speaking people than Great Britain. My grandfather and father were pukka Queen’s English walas who studied Wren & Martin and Murray’s English Grammar in Convents of Dehradun. English from Shakespeare to Wordsworth to modern Londoner’s English had considerably changed. It has travelled long distances from Britain to Papua New Guinea and is the language of science and international communication today. English assimilated in India but with a backfire effect on the language and grammar. Indians mastered the art of changing adverbs to nouns. There are over 1000 words of Indian origin in the English language like pundit, shampoo, pukka, thug, chamcha……….. The Oxford Dictionary has over 160,000 words.

The English language has many diverse faces—some of these crept inadvertently while others were deliberate. The USA has its unique take on English; shaped by colonial history, the White Anglo-Saxon and Irish notably dropped the ‘u’ in the words colour and labour and displaced the ‘e’ in centre. Aussie English is famous for its colloquialism, e.g. G’day…. Canadians blended British and English like ‘two-four’ for twenty-four. Similarly, Singaporean, Caribbean, South African and New Zealand English have their own distinct accent, words, spellings, phrases and twists in grammar. These are generally accepted by Brits as normative changes to Queen’s English because most of these countries are so-called English-speaking countries. Inside the UK, different dialects exist in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A strong accent of English is spoken 150 mi north of London in Yorkshire and the east end of London itself.

What is intolerable in the English language science journals was to negate the English from European countries often Latin countries. When it comes to European countries, many are the original ‘Latino’ countries. Latin is the mother language of English. Literature uses tinges from Latin, Greek and French for distinguished enduring artistic expressions in English. My first taste of a Latin country was in Mexico, while travelling on a road journey, there was a hold-up. We got off the bus and walked through the traffic jam to see a mass of men and women with flags and slogans—this was a ‘demonstration or industrial action’ as in the English language. The locals said there was a ‘manifestation’. On a railway station trains running late were labelled ‘retardo’, on a lift (British) or elevator (American) to open or doors going ajar the sign was, ‘dehiscis’.

Indian Journal of Surgery enjoyed popularity in Turkey, Spain, Italy, Japan and China with a large number of manuscript submissions. In my initial few years, I tried to edit and correct the European English, but to my best effort, many of these escaped my attention and remained as such—none complained or ever noticed. Minding such mistakes and asking for correction were eyebrow-raising by professional English correction personnel in Europe. Some of the phrases that I discovered later have assimilated well in this Journal—the English-Vinglish of the Indian Journal of Surgery:

Spain: We present the case of a 10-month-old male child who presented with severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding leading to progressive anemization and in which the nuclear medicine study was suggestive of bleeding Meckel’s diverticulum. (Anemization here means progressive pallor or anaemia) Omentum majos instead of greater omentum, saphena magna instead of great saphenus vein.

Turkey: Patients’ data was anonymized and their consent was obtained, an ethics committee evaluation was not deemed necessary (In English language it should be “patient identity was not disclosed”). The study was carried out on patients applied (here, the English word should be ‘admitted’) in Turgutlu State Hospital Manisa, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti.

Turkey: We prefer this incision because it allows us to perform a very good exposition (English—exposure). Surgical evaluation of the axilla with sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary curettage).……. (English—axillary clearance—although curettage is more apt as a surgeon acting like a curator removes lymph nodes) Lower abdominal CT examination was applied with oral and intravenous contrast..... (applied should have been ‘done’).

Turkey: Flap survivability…… (English expression should be survival of flap). Composite skin flaps were applied……. …… (English expression should have been “Composite skin flaps were lifted or harvested and sutured”).

Turkey: As requested by the reviewer, we have changed the term adenocancer to "adenocarcinoma" throughout the text. We appreciate to reviewer pointing this issue to us. Additionally, we have corrected writing errors and adjusted the manuscript to fit the Journal's formatting guidelines……. (Authors reply after several instructions to correct English).

China: Each point is measured in centimeters relative to the hymen……… (English expression should be “measurements were done from level of hymen both proximally and distally or measurements in relation to the level of hymen in the vagina”).

China: So, we first proposed D3 lymph node dissection with (English—‘from’) left colic artery and first sigmoid artery preservation (English ‘the first branch of sigmoid colon was preserved’) in rectal cancer surgery.

Found it was a possibility that both left colic artery and first sigmoid artery …. (The word ‘possibility’ should be substituted by ‘possible’. The phrase should be ‘found it possible’).

Having found the above English usage in the various issues of IJoS during my editorship, I would accept it as my deliberate attempt to assimilate European and Chinese English into English-Vinglish versions of the Indian Journal of Surgery.

Finally, I would like to thank the President, Secretary and Executives of the Association of Surgeons of India and the entire Editorial board of the Indian Journal of Surgery who stood with me for 6 years non-stop. I am mostly indebted to a large number of reviewers and a handful of good Samaritan reviewers without whom the Journal would have not achieved what it did. I also give my gratitude to Varsha who supported me throughout my journey during all kinds of editorial work including the challenging task of revamping of reviewers list and disposing of manuscripts. I also thank Dr. Eti Dinesh, Senior Editor of Medicine & Life Science Journal, Shiela Chavez, Louie Ramos and Mark Manzo of Springer Nature for their cooperation and support in the timely publication of the Journal. I also thank my wife Dr. Rashmi who supported me through this journey.

Some friends nevertheless have wooed me with panegyrical comments—my passing out parade ……

An ode celebrating the legacy of Professor Sandeep Kumar, Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Journal of Surgery highlighting his contributions by Professor Dhananjaya Sharma from Jabalpur. His blend of humility, scholarly command, and boundless generosity has left an indelible mark on every colleague, student, and author privileged to work by his side. I wish Professor Kumar a future as bright and inspiring as the legacy he leaves behind.

With a heart both gentle and wise,

And a soul where scholarship lies,

We gather today in a chorus profound,

To honor a giant, whose virtues resound.

From the city of nawabs, where grace is a creed,

He emerged, embodying Lakhnawi finesse indeed.

A paragon of courtesy, unfailingly kind,

With words that flowed, meticulously refined.

Master of both Hindi and English’s embrace,

He wove language with an artist’s grace.

Through pages and prose, his passion would gleam,

Each sentence a bridge, each word a beam.

In the theatre of surgery, he taught and inspired,

A beacon of knowledge, endlessly admired.

Methodical and sharp, his rigor unmatched,

Every detail considered, each puzzle dispatched.

Yet despite the laurels, the praise, the fame,

Humility anchored his storied name.

No ego, no airs, in spite of his stature so grand,

Ever ready to lend a helping hand.

To young editors and authors in need,

He offered guidance, planted the seed.

A mentor, a leader, so patient and true,

Guiding us forward with a vision anew.

In corridors where the scalpel’s song rings,

His teaching echoed on wisdom’s wings.

Clinical pearls and operative lore,

Gems he shared, enriching the core.

Now, as the ink of his tenure slows,

A chapter concludes, and gratitude grows.

Professor Sandeep Kumar, with deepest respect,

We salute your journey, rich and perfect.

Ours is a debt we can never repay,

For your kindness and guidance, day after day.

As you step back with dignity and grace,

Your legacy lives, an enduring embrace.

May retirement bring you peace and rest,

A time to savor life’s very best.

For in the Annals of surgical art,

You’ll forever be a cherished part.

May your path be as bright as the light you’ve shared,

For in each life you’ve touched, you are eternally revered.

Another passing out salute by Dr. Kaushik Bhattacharya, Editorial Board member of the Indian Journal of Surgery from Siliguri (Fig. 1).

Editorial Board Meeting ASICON 2022 Mumbai

Indian Journal of Surgery is a journal that touches the heart and soul of every Indian surgeon no matter even if one is on the editorial board of any other high-impact journal simply because Dr Sandeep Kumar has put his effort, time, energy, and dedication into peer reviewing almost 1500 manuscripts per year on time and getting them published immediately without any delay. This fast-track peer review, decision-making, and online publication have caught the imagination and fantasy of surgical authors across the globe. Dr Sandeep Kumar has motivated and encouraged all to send the manuscripts to the Indian Journal of Surgery overlooking the rest as it is ‘our’ journal so every Indian data should find a place in the Indian Journal of Surgery. This vision not only caught the national flavour but the Indian Journal of Surgery made a name and place in the International surgical arena too as the most sought-after journal with manuscripts pouring from Indonesia to Cyprus. Dr Sandeep Kumar leaves a wonderful legacy behind with his hard work which will always be remembered.

Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to Harry Emerson Fosdick

Dr. P Raghu Ram Past President ASI

As usual your departing editorial has your stamp...The poetic tribute is touching...

Your contribution to IJoS as Editor in Chief has been a blessing to the ASI. Your Visionary leadership brought not only laurels to the Association but also ensured enormous savings to ASI's reserves. The Journal has established many benchmarks and was happy to see this first hand as President .

Your absence would be felt... Well done and heartiest congratulations

Dr. Subodh Kumar Executive Director, National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences NBEMS, under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India

It was indeed an honour for me to work with Prof Sandeep Kumar first as a Managing Editor of a special issue on Trauma and then as an Associate Editor and reviewer editor. I truly learnt a lot from him during this journey. I really admire his magnanimity in allowing us to work independently. He never ever questioned our decisions even if these were not in sync with his opinions. I distinctly remember that he was in the "YELLOW" category which reflects the personality of a philosopher and innovator – your editorial and the recent issues of IJoS reflect this.

Dr. Akshay Kumar, Additional Professor—Emergency Department AIIMS New Delhi

Very beautiful manifestation of words. Absolutely stunning (new inclusion of word) marathonic for 6 years and heroic effort for the progress of academic surgery. Your contribution will forever inspire and motivate budding students of research and academics and many others who remain cynical or ignorant or just unmotivated. In particular your support and appreciation and facilitation towards young struggling authors, encouraging them to write, replying to reviewer comments and wholeheartedly supporting their publication journey is not only unique it is indispensable and most valuable quality of your leadership.

We are blessed to be exposed to your kind of leadership style, real editing expertise and experience the energy that you bring to each conversation, to the journal and within all of us who learn from you each time we speak to you.

Dr. Surajit Bhattacharya MS MCh

The palpable changes during Prof Sandeep Kumar’s editorship were :

The confines of what a surgical journal should be has been boldly breached by going into areas where our IJoS never dared to go before. I am personally thankful for accepting topics like vaccine hesitancy, distance learning, 3D printing, Behavioural issues of surgeons, trainers and trainees, grief counselling and email communication ethics. This was a big change because these topics get citations across board, even from non-surgeon researchers.

Regularity of the e-journal and the print journal- a fact that will help in future indexing. Reducing turnaround time is a dramatic improvement, and one has to appreciate it.

Taking our product overseas. If you see the English language Surgery journals being published from Korea, Malaysia, Australia & New Zealand, Indonesia, they hardly have any worldwide contribution - IJoS has it regularly. This is again a point which will help in future indexing.

Your contribution to the journal is enormous. You have held together a team of academicians, motivated them and encouraged them to improve standards. It is a lot of hard work and great leadership. Congratulations on your successful completion of the assignment and best wishes for the future.

Dr. G Laxmana Sastry MS FRCS

It was my pleasure and Great Experience working with you as editorial board member for the past 6 years. You are very kind and soft spoken and encouraged all the time and guided us throughout my tenure in the editorial board. You had set an example as to how to deal with all the colleagues and juniors. IJoS has reached greater heights in content and world-wide circulation under your leadership. You are an inspirational leader and our Bade Bhai

Dr. Clement S Rajan MS FRCS

I must congratulate you on your leadership that has made the IJoS a big monetary success, ensuring good income to the ASI. As a Team we have also helped clear the backlog of submissions, especially the completion of dedicated topic specific issues. So, it's a pat on the back for us too...! Thank you once more for all your guidance and Team spirit.