India, Sept. 21 -- Unless you're an avid reader of British news you won't know who Peter Mandelson is. He's the only politician I know who has on three separate occasions held high office of State but been forced to resign in disgrace or summarily sacked. The most recent was his dismissal as Britain's ambassador to the US on September 11. As he once again tumbles down the ladder of success, which he has so successfully climbed on several occasions, I can't help but think of him. Once upon a time, he was a good friend. His most recent denouement was a result of his close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the sex offender. It seems Peter did not reveal the details of his friendship when he was appointed ambassador. What was unknown is that in 2008, after Epstein was convicted for soliciting prostitution from someone under 18, Mandelson wrote to his "best pal" in July of that year. "I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened. I can still barely understand it," the letter said. "Your friends stay with you and love you." This was more than Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, had bargained for when he appointed Peter. Within hours he dispensed with him. This was the third time misfortune felled Mandelson. The first was in December 1998, when he was Tony Blair's secretary of state for trade and industry. After it became known he had taken an unsecured loan of £373,000 from Geoffrey Robinson, the paymaster general, whose business affairs were under investigation by Mandelson's own department, Blair forced his resignation to stem the scandal. Two years later, he was back in high office but misfortune was once again waiting in the wings. Appointed secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Mandelson was forced to resign in January 2001, following accusations that he used his position to influence Srichand Hinduja's attempt to acquire British citizenship. However, such bad luck has never ended Peter's career. He went on to serve as one of Britain's commissioners at the European Union before returning to government as Gordon Brown's secretary of state for business. He was even promoted to first secretary of state. It would seem he has both God's blessings and Satan's curse. The former elevates him, the latter invariably drags him down. Of course, none of this was apparent in the years I knew him. That was in the 1980s and he would have been in his thirties. We were television producers at London Weekend Television, working on what was probably Britain's best-known current affairs programme, Weekend World. The legendary Brian Walden was the anchor. In those days he was tall, slim with a debonair if patrician air. Everyone knew his grandfather was Herbert Morrison, a member of Clement Attlee's fabled cabinet. Some people thought him arrogant but that was probably because he was taciturn. Certainly, he didn't make friends easily. He kept most people at arm's length. If I remember the story correctly, with a grand sweep of his right hand, as he was excitedly explaining some obscure detail, Peter knocked a cup of coffee all over the script I was writing for that week's show. It was a monumental disaster. We were barely 24 hours from "on air" and the final version of the script was sopping wet. Peter was instantly apologetic. His face turned crimson, either with embarrassment or anger at himself. He immediately offered to retype it. It took him a couple of hours and it went on till well past midnight. In the process, he added a few flourishes of his own which certainly embellished the outcome. I imagine that after success has elevated him to the stratosphere, few people get to see this endearing side of Peter. But it's definitely how I prefer to remember him. I'm confident he'll bounce back. He always does. Yet at this moment that's slender consolation. I wish Peter luck and hope our paths might cross sometime soon....