Every issue of India Empire carries multiple conversations within it, but there is always one story that anchors the edition, setting its emotional and intellectual tone. In this issue, that anchor is our Cover Story on Dr M. Khalilullah and his daughter, Dr Sameena Khalil. It is a story of medicine, legacy, ethics, and quiet excellence, spanning generations and redefining what leadership in healthcare can mean in India.

Dr Khalilullah’s journey is not merely one of professional achievement. It is the story of a pioneer who helped shape modern cardiology in India while remaining steadfastly committed to affordable, ethical, and accessible healthcare. Over decades, he has combined clinical excellence with institution-building, mentorship, and an unwavering belief that medicine must serve society, not the other way around. His work has touched countless lives, often far beyond the spotlight.

Equally compelling is the emergence of Dr Sameena Khalil, whose journey represents continuity without imitation. The Cover Story explores how she has carved her own professional identity while carrying forward a legacy grounded in compassion, rigour, and responsibility. Together, father and daughter embody a rare intergenerational dialogue, one where values are inherited, renewed, and adapted to contemporary realities. In an age driven by speed and scale, their story reminds us that endurance, ethics, and empathy remain the true measures of success.

While the Cover Story forms the heart of this issue, its pulse extends outward into wider themes that India Empire has long championed. One of those is Africa, a continent that continues to occupy an increasingly important place in India’s diplomatic, economic, and strategic imagination. This edition coincides with AFRICA FIRST, our India–Africa Diplomatic & Business Conference, and it is fitting that the magazine carries a strong and sustained focus on Africa alongside the event.

Africa, for India Empire, has never been episodic coverage. It has been a continuing editorial commitment. Over the years, we have consistently highlighted African leadership, diplomacy, enterprise, and the growing engagement between India and African nations. This issue carries that forward through features and reportage that reflect Africa’s rising relevance in global affairs and its deepening partnership with India across trade, development cooperation, capacity building, sustainability, and people-to-people engagement.

AFRICA FIRST itself is conceived as a serious, dialogue-driven platform, bringing together African Heads of Mission, policymakers, industry leaders, and thought leaders. The Africa coverage in this issue mirrors that intent, privileging substance over symbolism and long-term engagement over short-term optics. As this magazine is distributed at the conclave, it serves as both context and continuity for those conversations.

Beyond the Cover Story and Africa, this issue remains true to the broader mandate of India Empire. We continue to chronicle leadership across governance, public service, culture, and the arts, reflecting the many ways in which India engages with the world. The Indian diaspora, once again, appears as a connective thread, quietly linking geographies, institutions, and ideas.

With over 21 years of publication and more than 255 editions, India Empire has evolved alongside India’s global engagement. That longevity brings with it an editorial responsibility to document stories that matter, whether they unfold in hospital corridors, diplomatic chambers, or across continents.

This issue does precisely that. At its core is a deeply human story of healing and heritage. Around it are narratives of diplomacy, partnership, and global engagement. Together, they reflect the many dimensions of India’s presence in the world today.

The conversations continue, across generations and geographies.

Sayantan Chakravarty
sayantanc@gmail.com