Dear All Readers, You are all quite well aware that the Pharmacy Week Celebrations are round the corner and perhaps by the time this issue is in your hands we will be actually celebrating the National Pharmacy Week commencing from 20-th November. This year’s NPW has a special significance as this is the Golden Jubilee celebrations. All these years we have been making the public aware about the role of Pharmacists in all fields of pharma profession like industry, regulatory, academics, hospital pharmacy and community pharmacy. Even after fifty years, pharmacist is not given the due recognition which he deserves. He is an important member of the Health Care Team as easily accessible, well knowledgeable and informed professional about drugs. Of late Pharmacist by the strength of numbers they are passing out of the pharmacy institutions have become a strong force to reckon with and they have been rendering good professional service to the persons inflicted with Tuberculosis, HIV- AIDS, family planning etc. Even in the recently concluded FIP Congress held in Hyderabad during September, 2011, they have signed a joint document with WHO on TB care and control. It has been stated that Pharmacists provide value added service and contribute in the prevention and care of TB. The role of pharmacist is just not in dispensing drugs but it is now more service oriented towards patients. Thus the role of Pharmacists has to be highlighted during these celebrations and aptly this year’s theme for this year's Golden Jubilee Celebrations is “ Pharmacist- A Heath Care Professional.” It is hoped that all the State and local branches of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association will carry out these celebrations keeping this objective in their view. On 1st November, the world’s seven billionth child was born in Uttar Pradesh as reported by one of the leading dailies of the nation. India has an estimated population of 1.21 billion people has become a ‘population billionaire’-perhaps next only to China with a population of 1.34 billion as reported in a recent report titled ‘India@7billion’. It is expected that by 2025 India will overtake China as the world’s most populous country. Which will undoubtedly cause of concern and exert enormous pressure on national resources. In this context, the pharma profession has also to take care of these figures and plan properly to rise to the occasion regarding drugs manufacture, supply, and number of pharmacists.etc required for the nation. Just recently, on invitation from the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, I attended their conference in Washington DC- USA held from 23-27th October. The conference is attended by about 10,000 professionals. A program of American Association of Indian Pharmaceutical Scientists was organized as a part of the AAPS conference on 26th October where your President as Guest of Honor has been asked to give a presentation on “Overview of the IPA-its activities and Opportunities for the returning NRIs,” at a dinner meeting which was very well attended and received by the AAiPS members. Though belated, wish you all a very Happy Deepavali. Thanking you, - In service to IPA,   Dr C Gopalakrishna Murty.