A Case of Break in History

man loses has compensation, but if you lose your history then you cannot compensate it with anything. People know of the loss of ‘break in service’ but they don’t know of the loss of break in history, and perhaps Rajat Gupta was not an exception. One’s history is one’s identity. It includes honesty, integrity and reputation. These things make one’s identity. If a person, by committing a mistake, loses this identity, he will lose his value in the eyes of others. This is break in history, and if due to some reason, one loses this historical identity he will lose his most precious asset. Such kind of a mistake can never be compensated for. Apparently, there is no rescue for Mr. Gupta, but for others it is a great lesson. Those who are in employment are cautious about what is called ‘break in service’, but people must be cautious regarding break in history more than they are for break in service. Break in service is redeemable, but break in history is not. There is a line in Persian: Man na kardam shuma hazar bekunaid (You take it as a lesson and don’t make the mistakes I made). Perhaps this is the best message that Rajat Gupta can give to others. Learning from others’ mistakes is the easiest way of not repeating that kind of mistake again. One can learn the formula of successful life before entering it. Although Rajat Gupta failed, he can say, ‘I hope my failure gives others a tested secret of success.’