American Dream - Part 1

I recently read a memoir, 'Mind Without Fear', and I must admit, few stories are as riveting as this.

****

PART 1

Born in Kolkata, India, this young boy's early life was marked by personal tragedy and resilience.

Orphaned by the age of 18, he was thrust into adulthood with the weight of his family's future, which included one elder sister and, a younger brother and sister.

Unfazed, the siblings decided to live on their own inviting their unmarried aunt to live with them instead.

This early responsibility significantly shaped the boy's character and drive for success.

The siblings were academically gifted. Their education was paid for with the help of scholarships.

Against all odds, he not only excelled in school but also ranked 15th in the nationwide entrance exam for the IIT JEE. He received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi in 1971.

Upon graduation, he had several choices: a job offer from ITC, pursuing an MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad and an MBA from Harvard Business School

But the maverick that he was, he rejected the offers from ITC and IIM, to study MBA from HBS.

Declining an offer from ITC was nearly unheard of in those days. Almost comparable to turning down an offer from Meta or Google today.

In fact, ITC was so astonished by the rejection that they especially booked a plane ticket for him and called him to their head office to understand why he turned down the offer.

Nevertheless, he joined HBS and graduated in 1973 with distinction as a Baker Scholar.

He applied to McKinsey after graduating, but was rejected because of inadequate work experience,

But fortunes changed when one of his professors at Harvard, Walter Salmon, wrote McKinsey asking them to reconsider the decision.

They did, and the rest, as they say, is history.

His career trajectory at McKinsey & Company was nothing short of meteoric. Starting in the New York office in 1973, he quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the first non-American CEO of McKinsey in 1994.

He was Rajat Gupta, the first Indian CEO of any MNC company–much before Nadella and Pichai made the headlines

This is the perfect American dream, right!!

Well, this story is not just one of corporate triumph. It's also a tale of perilous fall from grace that can follow.

Despite his towering success, Gupta’s life took a dark turn when he was implicated in an insider trading scandal.

Despite maintaining his innocence, Gupta was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison!!

So what happened !! How did this American-dream turned into a nightmare.

Read more in Part 2 next week :)