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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.)

NCPs merger plan in limbo

Mumbai: With dizzying political developments this week, the proposed re-unification of Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (SP) with Sunetra Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party appears to be in a limbo – due to power politics on both sides.

 

The whispered talks of the merger – laid bare by Sharad Pawar himself today in his explosive media interaction – triggered a furious and urgent race to secure organisational control of the NCP.

 

In barely 72 hours after Ajit Pawar’s passing on Wednesday (Jan. 28), Sunetra Ajit Pawar was catapulted as the party President, Legislative Party Leader and as the state’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister, catching even the seasoned NCP (SP) leaders by surprise.

 

Many in the Opposition feel that it was apparently cold fear among the NCP big brass that the NCP (SP) leaders - comprising Supriye Sule, Jayant R. Patil, Dr. Jitendra Awhad and others - would attempt to lord over the merged entity and dump them.

 

The haste at which the NCP leaders with the familiar coterie of Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare and a handful of Ajit Pawar loyalists moved after his death was to make a pre-emptive strike and grab control of the party before the grief and dust settled, leaving the other (NCP-SP) side not time to even start its own manoeuvres.

 

By effecting a ‘smooth, seamless succession’ through quicky decisions, the wily group managed to effectively dominate the organization, and, by extension, somewhat over Sunetra Pawar, widely viewed as a political greenhorn.

 

All these would have been impossible had the two factions merged on February 12, - as Sharad Pawar revealed – as the unified NCP would have diluted Patel and Tatkare’s leverage.

 

Not Routine

Sharad Pawar’s expose was not a routine affair, but a calculated political intervention, with each statement striking as sharp as a double-edged razor. By claiming ignorance of the swearing-in ceremony, he distanced his faction from the unfolding drama, and kept his flock intact, for now at least.

 

Again, by naming Patel and Tatkare as the architects of the planned merger, he stopped them from any possible denials, and the remark about the tearing hurry was an indirect signal that Patel, Tatkare and even the Bharatiya Janata Party could be scared of a reunified and stronger party. It also restored Sharad Pawar’s moral and organisational authority.

 

Feb 12 Schedule 

The most disturbing part was Sharad Pawar stating that the merger was scheduled for Feb. 12; a clear message to the party workers in both factions how the series of developments in the past three days could be viewed as a betrayal of Ajit Pawar’s final intent before his last journey.

 

Willy-nilly, he painted the NCP (SP) as the legitimate ‘inheritor’ of Ajitdada’s political legacy while Patel-Tatkare may be the ‘usurpers’.

 

Added to it was the fact - that Sunetra Pawar purportedly kept aloof from the Sharad Pawar family since Ajit Pawar’ ashes were immersed – could isolate her politically, and push her into relying more on the NCP strategists who unilaterally managed the show in the past three days.

 

The fallout of the series of political moves is significant as even within NCP (SP), murmurs of discontent are growing, which may be ripe for exploitation not just by the Sunetra Pawar group but also by the BJP, which has its own independent reasons to destabilise rival entities.

 

The NCP ‘succession series’ may also upset Sharad Pawar’s long-cherished desire to hand over the reins to Supriya Sule - either as a dominant force in Maharashtra or as a heavyweight at the Centre.

 

The current focus is on Sunetra Pawar – but Sharad Pawar has firmly indicated that it's still too early to write him off.

 


“I personally do not see that will happen. The NCP leadership was with Ajit Pawar and now with Sunetra Pawar Ji. I don't see Mr Sharad Pawar being invited to join the NCP, given that he has lost the people's trust and the vote.”

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister, Commerce


"We have nothing to say on this matter right now."

Sunil Tatkare, Leader, NCP


“All discussions were held at our level, but it now appears the process may hit a roadblock following the (plane) accident. The talks were progressing in a positive direction, but the accident adversely affected the process. It was Ajit's wish to unite the two factions, and now it is our wish that his wish should be fulfilled.”

Sharad Pawar, Chief, NCP (SP)

 

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