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By:

Asha Tripathi

14 April 2025 at 1:35:28 pm

Stop Comparing, Start Growing

Success does not grow in comparison; it grows in focus. Over the years, women have made significant strides in every sphere of life. From managing homes to leading organisations, from nurturing families to building successful careers, women have proved that strength and resilience are deeply rooted in their nature. Financial independence has become a significant milestone for many women today, bringing with it confidence, dignity, and the freedom to shape one’s own destiny. However, along...

Stop Comparing, Start Growing

Success does not grow in comparison; it grows in focus. Over the years, women have made significant strides in every sphere of life. From managing homes to leading organisations, from nurturing families to building successful careers, women have proved that strength and resilience are deeply rooted in their nature. Financial independence has become a significant milestone for many women today, bringing with it confidence, dignity, and the freedom to shape one’s own destiny. However, along with growth has come another silent challenge — the tendency to constantly observe, compare, and sometimes even compete with the journeys of others. But a crucial question arises: Is it necessary to track the growth of others in order to grow ourselves? From my personal experience of more than two decades as an entrepreneur, I have realised something very powerful — true growth begins the moment we stop looking sideways and start looking within. A Small Beginning I had a flourishing career of teaching abroad, but when I restarted my career after moving back to India, my beginning was extremely small. My very first assignment was a simple home tuition for a single student, and the amount I earned was meagre. There was nothing glamorous about it. No recognition, no large batches, no big earnings. Just one student and one opportunity. But instead of worrying about how others were doing, how many students they had, or how much they were earning, I made a conscious decision—my only focus would be on improving myself. I focused on teaching better, preparing better, and becoming more disciplined and consistent. And slowly, without even realising it, things began to grow. One student became two, two became a small group, and gradually, over the years, the work expanded beyond what I had initially imagined. Looking back today, I can confidently say that the growth did not happen because I competed with others. It happened because I competed with myself yesterday. Comparison Creates Noise When we keep watching others' journeys too closely, we unknowingly divert our own energy. Comparison creates unnecessary noise in our minds. It brings doubts, insecurities, and sometimes even negativity. Instead of walking our own path with clarity, we start questioning our speed, our direction, and our worth. True success grows through focus, not comparison. Every woman has her own story, her own pace, and her own struggles that others may never see. The path of one person can never be identical to another's. So comparing journeys is like comparing two different rivers flowing towards the same ocean — each with its own route, its own curves, and its own rhythm. As women, we already carry many responsibilities. We balance emotions, relationships, work, and society's expectations. In such a life, the last thing we need is the burden of comparison with one another. Instead, what we truly need is support for each other. When women encourage women, something extraordinary happens. Confidence grows. Opportunities multiply. Strength becomes collective rather than individual. There is enough space in the world for every woman to create her own identity. Each of us can build our own niche without stepping on someone else's path. Choose Encouragement Envy weakens us, but encouragement empowers us. Rather than questioning how someone else is progressing, we can ask a more meaningful question: "How can I grow a little better than I was yesterday?" Lift As You Rise Today, after twenty years of experience, the most valuable lesson I have learned is simple yet profound — focus on your own work with honesty and dedication, and success will quietly follow you. We, women, are capable, resilient, and creative. We do not need to pull each other down or compete in unhealthy ways. Instead, we can lift each other up while building our own dreams. Because when one woman rises, she does not rise alone. She inspires many others to believe that they can rise, too. And perhaps that is the most beautiful form of success. (The writer is a tutor based in Thane. Views personal.)

Leopard triggers terror in Bhayander

Family injured; the animal caught after seven hours

Mumbai: A groggy Bhayander family had an unexpected guest for breakfast – a young male leopard – which created mayhem in their first floor flat, leaving at least five of the hosts injured, and triggering terror in the vicinity, police said.


A daylong drama started around 8 am when the adult feline sneaked into the flat, suspectedly from the balcony as the family was just preparing for their morning cuppa and other routine chores.


On suddenly seeing the big cat lurking around in their small flat in Parijat Society, the family started screaming for help and panic gripped the entire BP Talav Road locality in Bhayander east.


Neighbours in the building who got a glimpse of the leopard joined in the melee, some shouting in the corridors and stairwells at the uninvited jungle hunter in the densely populated areas.


As the news spread like wildfire, people quickly remained barred in their own homes and kept a close watch outside, all the shops in the neighbourhood downed shutters and pedestrians disappeared from the streets, shaken by the early morning

nightmare.

The Navghar Police, Bhayander Fire Brigade along with 10 experts from Thane Forest Department and NGO SARRP’s seven volunteers with Asif Patrawala rushed to the building. The police immediately cordoned off the surrounding lanes, threw nets on the building and asked residents not to venture outdoors during the massive rescue operation.


After nearly six tense hours the rescuers monitored the leopard’s movements inside the flat and the building, once it was sighted on the staircase and then below an air-conditioning unit, searching for an escape route out of the concrete jungle to the green forests, glaring at the rescue teams hovering around.


As the cat apparently quit the flat, the rescue teams managed to extricate a badly mauled woman from a window of the flat, and the rest were also taken out slowly. They were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment where their condition was described as ‘stable’.


Surgical Strike

Finally, after around 3 pm, after a long and tiring cat-and-mouse game, the big feline was finally targeted by a surgical strike – of a tranquiliser dart – and it fell unconscious. The rescue teams managed to drive the leopard into a flat in the same building. “The animal was eventually cornered and trapped inside a first floor flat in the building, preventing further harm to the residents. The entire building and the surrounding areas were cordoned off as a precautionary measure, and the residents were advised to remain indoors,” an official said.


The forest officials lifted it and shifted it to the Leopard Rescue Centre in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali, for treatment and rehab.


As the shaken and scared Bhayander residents started returning to normalcy by evening, forest department has promised to enhance surveillance in such vulnerable zones. Locals say that the forested area is several kms away and wondered how the adult leopard managed to reach the Parijat CHS undetected.


An official of Navghar Police Station told ‘The Perfect Voice’ that the police are recording the statements of the victims and details would be shared later.


“During the rescue operation, our teams closely monitored the situation on the ground and rescue support was kept on standby if required,” said Pawan Sharma from RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare), who is also an honorary wildlife warden.


Polls round the corner, rattled leaders demand action

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Mira-Bhayander Narendra Mehta termed the incident as “extremely alarming” and shot of a letter to Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, seeking government aid for the medical treatment of all the injured and compensation.


He demanded stricter preventive measures, increased patrolling by the forest officials, and greater public awareness to prevent wild animals from entering thickly populated urban areas.


Shiv Sena Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik later told media-persons that the leopard was rescued safely while Municipal Commissioner Radhabinod Sharma said all the victims are receiving proper medical care.

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