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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.)

Records of Shame

Karnataka
Karnataka

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Congress-led government recently turned a welfare milestone into a global embarrassment. By flaunting two ‘world records’ certified by a dissolved British firm, the Congress regime there has revealed its craving for validation at any cost.


On October 16, the Chief Minister triumphantly announced that Karnataka had “entered the global stage” with the Shakti Scheme and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) earning recognition from the “London Book of World Records.” The Shakti Scheme, which provides free bus travel for women, was feted for having facilitated an astounding 564 crore rides; KSRTC, for its 464 awards since 1997.


Yet within hours, the claim collapsed like an overinflated balloon. The opposition quickly discovered that the London Book of World Records Ltd. - the certifying body behind these ‘global’ honours - had been dissolved months before the Chief Minister’s post. Its online footprint revealed something worse: the outfit peddled record ‘packages’ for a fee, offering Gold, Silver and Platinum certificates to whoever wished to buy their moment of fame.


Siddaramaiah’s post, unsurprisingly, vanished the next day. But screenshots had already spread far and wide, ensuring the embarrassment could not be deleted as easily as a tweet. “This certificate looks as fake as the Congress government itself,” taunted BJP leader C.T. Ravi. The Janata Dal (Secular) was more cutting still, quipping that not only was the agency’s “surname borrowed” but its credibility, too, was bought.


A government that prides itself on social welfare and administrative competence should have verified the legitimacy of a foreign ‘record book’ before parading it as international validation. The spectacle of India’s most prosperous southern state clinging to dubious certificates reveals a culture of vanity masquerading as governance.


Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s attempt at damage control only made matters worse. In his statement, he argued that the recognition was symbolic, meant to celebrate the state’s welfare success, and that “the facts remain unchanged.” The achievements, he insisted, were real - independent of any certification. If the achievements stand on their own, why chase meaningless ‘world records’ at all?


The answer lies in the Congress government’s growing obsession with optics over outcomes. The Shakti Scheme has been criticised even by transport unions and economists for draining the exchequer and straining bus operations. KSRTC’s finances remain precarious, and its workers have long demanded wage parity and better infrastructure. Yet instead of addressing these systemic problems, the government seems keener to spin them into glossy narratives of global acclaim.


Siddaramaiah’s penchant for grandstanding fits a pattern. From his five guarantee schemes to the state’s endless self-branding as a model of ‘social justice,’ his administration has perfected the art of conflating welfare with virtue and publicity with progress. The fake-record fiasco, then, is not an aberration but a symptom. When governance becomes a public-relations exercise, truth is the first casualty.


The irony is that Karnataka, with its economic dynamism, entrepreneurial spirit, and deep institutional capacity, does not need a London-based phantom to tell it what it has achieved. What it needs is sober, results-driven governance that can sustain welfare without bankrupting the state. Instead, Siddaramaiah’s team seems to mistake applause for achievement, mistaking press releases for policy. A state that once prided itself on innovation and pragmatism is now reduced to chasing paper trophies from obscure overseas entities.


The larger danger is that such stunts corrode credibility. When facts are embellished and governance is dressed up for social media applause, citizens lose faith in what their leaders say and do. Karnataka’s Congress government has become a cautionary tale of how a state that prides itself on intellect and progress can descend into performative populism.


Karnataka deserves better. Its welfare policies should speak through impact, not inflated claims. Its leaders should be judged by the rigour of their governance, not the glitter of their certificates.


If this episode proves anything, it is that the Congress government’s greatest achievement so far has been in the realm of make-believe. And no number of certificates - fake or otherwise - can disguise that uncomfortable truth.

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