Some of my classmates in Sainik School had started shaving quite early. Before moving for breakfast and the school assembly, our turnout and nails were checked in real earnest by the housemasters, shave was not one of them. There used to be a rumour then that if you trimmed your beard, it would grow very fast. “Look innocent,” we would say, and request the barber to use only a trimmer rather than a razor and leave some beard. A few of our classmates had no beard at all, while some had grey hair from a very early age. Be that as it may, we reached NDA and life turned upside down. The day you hadn’t shaved, you were on the drill square for extra drill and drills far beyond your imagination. While in the NDA Wing, I used to generally be the early one in the washroom. There were not many things in hand besides a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, a razor and a ‘coochi’, or shaving brush. The shaving foam used to come in a container that looked like a b...
We often think of a garden as something we create and control. We choose the plants, arrange the pots, water them and watch them grow. Yet, every now and then, nature quietly reminds us that the garden belongs to far more than just the gardener. A spider arrives without invitation, builds a magnificent home using the branches we provided, and goes about its business without asking for permission or paying rent! Perhaps that is the real joy of a garden. We may plant it, but we never truly own it. We merely create a little space where countless other lives can find food, shelter and opportunity. And sometimes, the most beautiful architecture in the garden isn't made by the gardener at all. 🕸️🌿 Actually, we humans too are stuck in the world wide web like insects in a cobweb. Please read the full article on my blog https://naturewithnoel.wordpress.com/2026/08/28/the-uninvited-architect/ If it brings a smile to yo...