The memoirs of Dr P. Venugopal, the man who performed India's first heart transplant, trace his never-told-before journey from a small town to being the director of India's premier medical institute, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). For the first time, an intensely reticent, world-renowned surgeon speaks of his personal and professional trials and tribulations, his crowning achievements in the field of healthcare, and the controversies that surrounded him during his career.

Dr Venugopal is credited with introducing advanced Western concepts of cardiac surgery in the early 1970s in India. He has more than 50,000 heart surgeries to his credit, was head of the AIIMS cardiothoracic centre, and later its dean and director. In his four-decade-long tenure, he has had a ringside view of some of the most impactful medical and political developments of the time.

Dr Venugopal has achieved an iconic status owing to his landmark contributions to medicine, surgery and research, and as someone who on the strength of his moral convictions took on the might of the government. He enjoys the trust of his patients and the people who worked with him, as a man who has steadfastly committed himself to his profession and to his patients, eschewing all personal gain. For his patients and students and for aspiring doctors in general, these memoirs provide insights and inspiration from a remarkable life.