t-J model then and now: A personal perspective from the pioneering times

In this overview I sketch briefly the path to the so-called {\em t-J model} derived for the first time 30 years ago and provide its original meaning within the theory of strongly correlated magnetic metals with a non-Fermi (non-Landau) liquid ground state. An emergence of the concept of {\em real space pairing}, is discussed in a historical prospective. A generalization of this model to the many-orbital situation is briefly discussed. The emphasis is put on didactical exposition of ideas, as they were transformed into mathematical language. The concept of {\em hybrid pairing} is introduced in the same context at the end.