New Delhi, Aug. 3 -- Can you trust an unethical person? Ask the question and you've already answered it. Trust evaporates in the absence of integrity. The most memorable lesson my father taught me in my short fourteen years with him came during an after-dinner walk around the university during his last month.

At one point, he stopped, put his hand on my shoulder and fixed his eyes on mine. "Living a life without ethical principles is like a vessel with a rounded bottom," he said. "It wobbles aimlessly and never stands firm, lacking conviction and character, and eventually tips over." It took me years to fully grasp the depth of his wisdom. Yet his parting insight has spared me lawsuits, betrayal and heartache more times than I can count....