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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.)

Sibling love blooms for six decades in Worli

India’s tallest Christmas Tree touches skies, hearts

Douglas Saldanah with India's tallest, 72-feet high, Christmas Tree in Worli.
Douglas Saldanah with India's tallest, 72-feet high, Christmas Tree in Worli.

Mumbai: On a quiet by-lane in Worli, hemmed in by concrete towers and the ceaseless beats of Mumbai, rises a breath-taking spectacle that makes people stop in their tracks.  


A towering Pine Conifer, glowing with more than 12,000 twinkling fairy lights, smiling angels, glittering reindeers and lots of cotton snow, stretches 72 feet into the night sky – almost equal to a 7-storied building – the most famous ‘rooted resident’ of the area. 


By record books and repute, it is ranked “India’s tallest naturally growing, fully decorated, Christmas Tree” and by spirit, it is a living monument to love, loss and the lasting faith of a brother and sister. 


The lofty tree nestles in a modest garden at Adarsh Nagar, a private residential society, and belongs to Douglas Saldanha, 64, a soft-spoken financial consultant, who has reverently tended it for over 52 years. 


Joys And Sorrows

The story of the tree is entwined with the joys and sorrows of the Saldanhas – the deceased parents Henry (87) and Grace (86), their children Twila (died 2005) and now Douglas. They moved from Mangalore to Mumbai decades ago, and it was here that this enchanting tree entered their lives almost by accident. 


Saldanha recalls how in 1973, a neighbour was grappling to manage a five-foot sapling looming awkwardly on his verandah, and quickly offered to sell it for Rs 250 to the thrilled Douglas, 12, and his sister Twila, 14. 


“We both carefully replanted it in the ground outside the verandah of our home, watered it daily, watched it, and felt pleased as it majestically stretched horizontally and vertically season after season, like a shared childhood dream,” Saldanha told ‘The Perfect Voice’. 


Enchanting Spectacle

Weeks before December 25, the Saldanha siblings would transform it into an enchanting spectacle - streamers and bells, shiny baubles, cherubic angels, tiny crosses, snowmen and a smiling Santa, topping it with a large star.


Awestruck neighbours, friends and relatives joined in to spread joy and laughter, and as the three grew in stature, so did the scale of celebrations and life continued happily. 


Sparing no efforts or expenses, every year he strung thousands of lights higher and wider, increasing as the tree’s height and girth increased, the cherubs seem to hover in mid-air; a cheerful Santa waving from a shiny flying sleigh perched on a mound of soft cotton snow, enthralling the visitors. 


“Absolute strangers came in droves to marvel at the masterpiece, clicked selfies or photos, many were moved to learn of the story behind the tree, and departed as lifelong friends. The Christmas tree exudes warmth, love and peace that attracts all,” commented Saldanha.


For the Saldanha family, the tree apparently worked other miracles. Henry Saldanha, a retired engineer survived multiple cancers in the prostate and cheek, five heart attacks, an open heart surgery and seven other major surgeries before going to meet his Lord in 2017, aged 87; in 2022 his wife Grace followed suit, aged 86 - leaving Douglas as the sole guardian angel of the three.


As he spent a major part of his youth caring for his parents and nurturing the family tree, Saldanha, a financial consultant for a MNC, chose to remain a bachelor: “I just wanted to be a good son,” was his simple, shrugging and smiling refrain.

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