This article is based on the contents of ‘Dr. K. C. Chaudhuri Lifetime Achievement Award Oration’ delivered on the Indian Journal of Pediatrics Annual Day 2022. The author shares glimpses of his academic journey from a remote village to a central Institute. This includes his career as a medical teacher and developing the Department of Neonatology at JIPMER, Pondicherry. This article is primarily focused on some of the significant research conducted during his tenure, like perinatal asphyxia, therapeutic hypothermia, neonatal sepsis, intrauterine growth restriction, and human milk banking. © 2023 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.