Correspondence Address:
Prof. Krishnamurthy Bonanthaya
Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka
India

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It was a privilege and an honor to be the President of the ISCLP and CA for the period February 2020–May 2022. The term of the President is for a year, or from one conference to the next. However, due to the prevailing pandemic conditions, the term of our executive committee got extended by a year. During this time, particularly in 2021, we went aggressively online with our educational activities. A number of webinars were conducted on all aspects of management of cleft lip and palate deformities by our members, for our members. In addition to that, in place of the yearly meeting, a virtual Continuing medical education (CME) on the basics of craniofacial surgery was conducted. All these virtual activities were actively subscribed to by a significant number of our members as well as others from around the world. This was indeed a silver lining amid the dark clouds of the times.

Finally, after a lot of uncertainties, the INDOCLEFT conference 22 was held from May 18 to 21 in Kochi.

The program consisted of a full-day CME on May 19 on various topics, the Craniofacial Symposium however starting half a day earlier on the 18th afternoon itself. The opening ceremony was held on the 19th evening, which was followed by the Millard Oration and a dinner. 20th and 21st were the main days of the conference, and a packed scientific program in multiple halls was the attraction with a grand dinner and cultural event thrown in on the 20th evening.

The participation at this conference was very enthusiastic with more than 300 registered delegates. In addition to more than 100 of our own members being the faculty, we also had both physical and/or virtual participation from a number of renowned cleft care professionals from around the world to whom we owe our gratitude.

The world's largest Cleft charity, The Smile Train, provided wonderful support in organizing this meeting. They were the principal sponsors of this meeting and also launched their simulation tool, the Simulare, in India with a day long, hands-on training program, which was attended by 60 delegates. We are deeply indebted for this magnanimous support from Smile Train.

The three prestigious orations of our association were this time, uniquely, delivered by our own distinguished members: Dr. Mustafa Khader doing the Millard oration, Dr. Narayanan P.V. doing the founder's lecture, and Dr. Savitha V.H. delivering the Braithwaite oration. All the three orators did a splendid job with passion and clarity, and definitely, this was a highlight.

The opening ceremony had its moments too. Moments of poignancy when the chief guest Mr. Rishi Raj Singh narrated his tryst with the cleft lip and palate and his significant advice to society to get this birth difference registered as a physical disability. However, the piece de resistance came from Mrs. Gulnar Adenwalla, the charming, wonderful, wife of the one and the only Hirji Adenwalla. For a period of 10 spell-binding minutes, she narrated her long journey with Dr. A, which was in turn amusing, emotional, witty, and heartwarming. She simply stole all hearts with this brief interlude. We are, again, grateful to her for gracing the occasion and adding grace and gravity to what is a mundane affair at all these meetings.

I would be failing in my duty if I do not acknowledge the multiple sponsors from the industry who not only informed the delegates but also made the financial burden less worrisome to the organizers.

We are also very happy to announce that Prof. Rajesh Pawar from Belgaum has taken over as the President of our society and on his capable shoulders rests the responsibility of seeing us through for another year after which we shall meet at Belgaum in March 2023.

Until then. Good bye