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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.)

MRIDC speeds up Elphinstone ROB, completion in Sep

Mumbai: Come Ganeshotsav, Mumbai is poised to get an eye-catching landmark – the ambitious Elphinstone Double-Decker Road Overbridge, being fast-tracked to provide a key link to the Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor and Atal Setu, officials said.


The double-decker ROB, will dramatically arise by Sep. 2026 from the ashes of the 112-year-old British-era Elphinstone Bridge that is being demolished since Oct. 225 after it outlived its utility.


The swank double-decker coming up in its place will be a decisive leap in urban mobility for the country’s commercial capital, with hopes to unclog it's perpetually-jammed arterial routes while seamlessly connecting Mumbai to expanding eastern waterfront besides residential and commercial complexes in the region.


Being built by the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSRIDC) Ltd. at a cost of a little over Rs. 167-cr, hectic work is on to demolish the old bridge, built in 1913 that connected Prabhadevi-Parel.


Giant cranes at work

The precision engineering of the work involves two gigantic 800-tonne cranes which are deployed to lift and remove the massive sections of the old razed structure. This challenging yet delicate operation is being carried on live railway lines without disrupting the Mumbai lifelines of the Central Railway and Western Railway corridors, thanks to meticulous planning and coordination, said an official.


The new double-decker ROB will not merely replace the old bridge, but is set to redefine connectivity in the region. Spanning 132 metres across the two busy railway lines, described as a ‘rare and technically complex achievement in a dense urban terrain’ like south Mumbai.


The bridge’s twin-level configuration is custom-engineered for efficiency for both commuters and pedestrians and traffic movement.


To boost people-traffic pace

The lower deck will have a 2+2 lanes plus a footpath, to ensure continued east-west access for the local commuters or pedestrians, while the 2+2 lanes upper deck minus the public walkway, would provide a crucial artery of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor, affording a swift, signal-free link to the iconic Mumbai Trans Harbour Link and onwards.


This would enable a much faster access to Navi Mumbai and beyond, reduced vehicular congestion at various points while opening up a new spine of regional connectivity and growth.


The double-decker bridge is engineered with a robust ‘Open Web Girder’ superstructure - a design suited to heavy railway crossings – with an eye on long-term durability and future capacity. “It reflects a broader shift in infrastructure thinking: building upward where horizontal expansion is no longer feasible,” said an official.


Game-changer for Mumbai traffic

He said that the Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor itself is itself envisioned as a game-changer for Mumbai’s east-west mobility, easing pressure on overburdened roads and integrating with larger transport networks that are reshaping the city and the bustling Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).


“With a seamless link to the MTHL (Atal Setu), the corridor will boost the city’s strategic push towards decongestion, economic expansion and overall development of the surroundings,” said the official, as the project races to catch the Sep. 2026 deadline.


A joint-venture of Maharashtra government and the Ministry of Railways, MahaRail is entrusted with accelerating rail and road infrastructure in the state, eliminate level-crossings to enhance safety, streamline rail-and-road traffic, and is executing several new railway lines, ROBs, RUBs, subways and flyovers.

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