'People Responsible For Financial Crisis Weren't Held Accountable'

Former McKinsey head Rajat Gupta says writing his memoir was cathartic and it brings closure to the chapter on insider trading in his life.

- Arnika Thakur

FORMER MCKINSEY BOSS Rajat Gupta, who lived the American Dream before he was convicted of insider trading, has written a tell-all memoir. Gupta, who spent two years in prison for sharing confidential insider information with former hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, spoke to Fortune India about his book Mind Without Fear, life in prison, the history of his relationship with Sri Lankan-American Rajaratnam, his future plans, and why he maintains his innocence in the case. Edited excerpts:

What was the idea behind writing the book? Don’t you think it’s too little, too late? You also cannot make any appeals anymore.

I have exhausted my appeals. And at the very outset I would say this is not about relitigating the case or trying to prove my innocence. I have not spoken about this case for seven years, never said a word, never gave any interviews; I respected the judicial process. The purpose of writing the book, as I wrote in the book itself, is that I wanted to kind of write it in a way that people can relate to it. You read it, you will see pieces of yourself in it. It was also a very cathartic thing for me to do. While it was painful, it was good to write it. It brings closure to the chapter in my life. I look forward to a new chapter; most importantly, I wanted to write an interesting story.

At the very beginning of the book, you mention the case and your relationship with Raj Rajaratnam, the series of events which led to the whole case; you mention some of them as things you regret. Will you talk about your association with him?