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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.)

Tackling Biomedical Waste, Made in India

While machines like Srjanam promise the future, NGOs like Enviro-Vigil have quietly ensured safer present-day practices.

In my previous article, I discussed the technologies hospitals use to safely treat biomedical waste — from microwaves and hydroclaves to autoclaves — each with its own strengths and limitations. While these systems have played an important role globally, questions of cost, scalability, and accessibility remain central challenges for Indian healthcare facilities. Building on that discussion, this week I turn to some exciting new developments and success stories in biomedical waste management closer to home.


One important driver of innovation in this field has been the Make in India initiative, which has also left its mark on biomedical waste management. In February 2025, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, inaugurated Srjanam—India’s first indigenously developed automated biomedical waste treatment plant, or rig, at AIIMS, New Delhi.


This innovative and environmentally friendly technology has been developed by CSIR–NIIST (National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram). It represents a significant step forward in the sustainable management of biomedical waste. The Srjanam rig can disinfect pathogenic waste, such as blood, urine, sputum, and laboratory disposables, without relying on costly, energy-intensive incinerators. Remarkably, it also leaves behind a pleasant fragrance, masking the otherwise noxious odours of toxic waste.


Once validated, the technology will be ready for large-scale deployment, pending approval from the relevant authorities.


Managing Thane’s Hospital Waste: How Enviro-Vigil’s Common Biomedical Waste Facility Became a Success Story

While Srjanam represents the future of cutting-edge biomedical waste management, equally inspiring are grassroots efforts that have quietly but effectively tackled the problem for years. One such example comes from Thane, where the NGO Enviro-Vigil has pioneered community-driven solutions.


Before concluding this series on hospital waste management, I would like to highlight the sustained efforts of a Thane-based NGO, Enviro-Vigil (Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal), which has been managing the city’s hospital waste for nearly two decades.


Enviro-Vigil was originally founded in the 1990s by a group of industrialists from Navi Mumbai. For reasons of their own, they later entrusted the organisation to us so that its environmental activities could continue. In 1998–99, Prof. Walavalkar and I, from Bandodkar Science College, Thane, together with Dr Vikas Hajirnis, a medical practitioner serving the poor in Chendani Koliwada, assumed responsibility for carrying the work forward. We were later joined by Mr Ravi Kadam and Mr Prasad Date.


Our initial focus was on raising public awareness in Thane, particularly around household waste management. Around this time, we also attended a two-day workshop on hospital solid waste management at Veer Jijamata Institute of Technology (VJTI) in Mumbai. The expert discussions and presentations proved invaluable for our later work.


By then, the Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, had come into effect, placing the responsibility for establishing common facilities for the collection and treatment of biomedical waste with urban local bodies. Accordingly, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) was tasked with creating such a facility for all government and private hospitals within its jurisdiction.


In 2000, Mr K. P. Bakshi (IAS), then Commissioner of TMC, entrusted us with conducting a survey to quantify the category-wise biomedical waste generated across hospitals. Aware of our previous work in waste management, he placed confidence in us to carry out the task. With full sincerity and with the active involvement of our college students, we conducted a comprehensive survey and submitted an exhaustive report. Following this, Enviro-Vigil was formally awarded the project of establishing a common facility for the treatment and disposal of biomedical waste—a responsibility we undertook as an NGO.


Read more about this in my next article. Until then, have a nice weekend.


(The author is an environmentalist.)

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