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By:

Divyaa Advaani 

2 November 2024 at 3:28:38 am

The Price of Presence

In a world where wealth often speaks louder than wisdom, the quiet ones are rarely heard. We live in times where confidence can be mistaken for competence, and money can masquerade as merit. I’ve often observed two kinds of people — those who silently observe and add value in subtle ways, and those who walk into the room believing their wealth gives them the right to dictate its energy. The truth is uncomfortable, but undeniable: power dynamics often overshadow potential. Opportunities are...

The Price of Presence

In a world where wealth often speaks louder than wisdom, the quiet ones are rarely heard. We live in times where confidence can be mistaken for competence, and money can masquerade as merit. I’ve often observed two kinds of people — those who silently observe and add value in subtle ways, and those who walk into the room believing their wealth gives them the right to dictate its energy.
The truth is uncomfortable, but undeniable: power dynamics often overshadow potential. Opportunities are lost not because someone lacked talent, but because they lacked the perceived stature to stand beside the powerful. Relationships, too, are often dictated by who can afford to take control — emotionally or financially. It’s unfair, yes. But it’s also reality. Yet, there’s a powerful equalizer that doesn’t require deep pockets — it requires presence. Your personal brandis the bridge between how the world sees you and how you deserve to be seen. In boardrooms, at business dinners, or even across social media platforms, perception often becomes your greatest currency. The quiet observer, when strategically positioned, can outshine even the loudest voice in the room — because credibility, once built, cannot be bought. Personal branding is not about pretending to be rich or powerful.It’s about communicating your value so clearly that people feel your influence even before you speak. It’s about creating an aura of assurance — that mix of confidence, clarity, and authenticity that makes people stop and pay attention. Think of it this way: If money buys luxury, presence earns loyalty. If wealth opens doors, branding makes people hold them open for you. In the business world, many talented founders and professionals lose visibility simply because they underestimate the power of perception. They believe results should speak for themselves — but results need a microphone, and that microphone is your brand. I’ve worked with business owners who had remarkable ideas but struggled to attract investors, partners, or clients. Not because their work lacked substance — but because their presence didn’t reflect their potential. Once they refined their personal brand — their communication, digital footprint, and executive presence — things shifted almost instantly. Suddenly, they were seen, heard, and remembered. That’s the true price of presence — it demands intentionality, but it rewards you exponentially. Because in today’s world, the question is no longer “What do you do?” but “Why should we listen to you?” And that answer lies in your brand — how you show up, how you carry yourself, and how you communicate your worth. Money may give temporary advantage, but your presence gives you permanent influence. If you’ve ever felt overlooked, undervalued, or overshadowed — it’s not a lack of capability, it’s a lack of clarity in how your value is positioned. And that’s something you can change starting today. After all, people don’t pay for what you do. They pay for who you are when you do it. Many successful business owners I’ve worked with have realised that building a strong personal brand isn’t vanity — it’s strategy. If you’re ready to stop blending in and start standing out, now’s the time to act. Book a free discovery call with me today and discover how a powerful personal brand can help you attract clients, build authority, and open doors that money alone never could. Because in business, your brand is the one investment that pays dividends long after the deal is done — it’s the smartest business strategy you can invest in. In order for you to book your free discovery call, you could type the following link in your browser and select an available time slot. The link is mentioned below: https://sprect.com/pro/divyaaadvaani (The author is a personal branding expert. She has clients from 14+ countries. Views personal.)

‘Anatomy’ of a Landfill: Open Dumping Ground

Updated: Nov 25, 2024

Landfill

The open dumping grounds are the depots of all different kinds of germs….mostly the ‘bad’ ones! Bad because those germs have tremendous potential to spread dreadful diseases in the human population, causing deadly epidemics at times! Remember 1994 Pneumonic Plague episode in the city of Surat in Gujarat? This type of plague is due to infection by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis which is transmitted into human bodies through the bites of very tiny insects called the fleas, which grow on the body of rats and the rats very happily and vigorously breed adding to their rapid population growth when they find such ‘wonderful’, ‘nutritious’ garbage ecosystem. Precisely, that was the situation in Surat in the 90’s. Practically, all the streets were The Dumping Grounds.


Anyway, more about this in some other article in future. Such incidences are of common occurrence across India. But again, in a dumping ground, if only the biodegradable waste, i. e. kitchen waste is disposed off, it will attract the population of ‘good’ germs which will eventually release all the precious nutrients form this natural waste and, in the process, will enrich the soil with the best quality natural fertilizer.


Anyway, will write about this at length in my subsequent articles. Now, coming back to the perils of open dumping. Another extremely dangerous situation that can occur at the open dumping is occasional fires. Fires at the dumping ground can be caused by various factors.


Sometimes, the heat generated by the garbage itself is so much, that the inflammable articles in the garbage dump can easily catch fire. Fire can be lit by humans either accidentally of purposely. This also applies to all those people who are seen collecting dry leaves, branches, plastics as the waste and everything that they find on the roadside, making a small heap and setting it up on fire. This is seen very commonly particularly during winter so that people can keep themselves warm enough. But fires to the dumping grounds result in release of highly toxic fumes in the air which, when inhaled by the people living in the vicinity, will certainly cause severe ailments of the respiratory passage which may further lead to chronic bronchitis, asthma and even cancer of the lungs.


Once such an incidence of fire occurs, it may keep burning for a few days to several weeks or even months.


Chances of explosions are very high as there are batteries and similar types of electrical and electric articles in that heap of garbage. Rubber tires burn adding to the obnoxious and toxic fumes. I remember one such incidence at Deonar dumping ground in Govandi area in Mumbai.


In January 2016, this very large dumping ground caught fire which eventually enveloped a stretch from Chembur to Navi Mumbai with thick smog cover.


Such recurrent fires at the dump pose grave health hazards to residents who have complained of everything from acute asthma and skin rashes to higher infant mortality rates. Even the average life span of such people gets significantly reduced.


(The author is an environment specialist. Views personal.)

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