NOEL ELLIS' GOOGLE BLOG

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  PLANS & CHANGE OF PLANS   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   25/IV/2023   Let me start by wishing everyone EID MUBARAK. A little belated but nevertheless.   It was a Holiday and our family had a get together. Gup-Shup, chit-chat, meen-mekh, nukhta-cheeni, hathaiyan, khodilai, ungli, back biting etc-etc. If I could summarise all this, its called bitching with a capital B. We discussed everything under the sun, especially those who were absent amongst us.   All the baggage in the tummy was shared with everyone. One could make out how the ones narrating such stories were feeling. Like after dropping off a huge load in the thunderbox. It was time now for moving on. Who would be the next target? Well, such things are spontaneous. Baat se baat nikalti hai.   In between someone floated the idea to go and watch the recently started sound and light show at Mandor gardens. The programme was set for next evening. We got into a convoy mode and off we went Tally-Ho.   It is no mo

  SLEEPING WITH EYES OPEN   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   21/IV/2023   One more Army convoy was attacked, that too which was carrying fruits for Iftar. More lives lost, a couple of orphans, half a dozen widows, a score of devastated parents, all plunged into grief. Morale of the troops doesn’t matter. Where will be the next attack? Who will be the next victim, is difficult to say? Does anyone care?   A ‘Sherdil CO’, with Company Commanders as fierce as tigers, suddenly hit by a jolt on a very normal day of work to win hearts and minds. Who & what went wrong, when all SOPs were in place. ‘My’ QRTs were alert, my Intelligence team never failed me, my training, no one can beat. Still the body bags carry ‘our own’, instead of militants.   CO will be ‘sealed’ for sure. Sector Commander may be ‘red lettered’. Convoy Commander will be the fall guy. ROP incharge the scapegoat. A Court of Inquiry will be held. FIRs against “unknown” terrorists which should have been ‘known’ will b

  A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   19/IV/2023   This morning, I gave my morning walk a skip. Nothing in particular but I declared it a ‘dry day’ like the Army used to jack up all vehicles for maintenance once a week. The brain needs stimulation and rest, for the Army people Dimag ghutno mein hota hai. So, the skip.   Be that as it may. It was a bright and lovely blue-sky day. The sun was creeping up when I noticed that all my lotus ponds were covered with a thin film of dust. It is quite common here, as last night there had been a mild sand storm. The issue is that if the surface is not kept clear our naughty fish take off and jump out of the container. If put back in time, well and good, if not, then we prepare for a burial.   Well, Lovey the dove was there on the lamp post his wife Dovey was missing. He was in no mood to soar or coo like he usually did. I asked him, taking a break, boss. He replied in a ‘coo’. Me too, I said.   It was time to water the pots and refill th

  CYCLE OF LIFE   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   18/IV/2023   Early morning... When it is still dark, I think I should take a walk in the park…. That is generally my routine. Birds would be chirping and announcing dawn. Moths and insects now make way to their hiding places, lest they become a snack. Flower buds give a hint that I shall bloom today. What a wonderful world it is.   By the time one returns the sun is sliding up the buildings opposite. The earth has tilted. In winters the sun would rise behind the fourth house on the right but now it is bang infront of our house, shifting about three houses. Of course, the sun is now getting closer and brighter. The crimson doesn’t stay that long. Before one realises, it starts to roast you. Afternoons you can understand.   Be that as it may. Lovey-Dovey the doves who now are our friends rise high, spread their wings, coo to their lungs capacity and come and sit on the lamppost post infront of our house. They sing their own song,

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  LADY WITH A BIG HEART   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   16/IV/2023   In the deserts, water is of utmost importance goes without saying. All those who stay here and those who have served here know and understand what water means to mankind and animals.   While on reconnaissance of border areas we would find ‘revars’ (herds) of goats, sheep and camels in hundreds. A lone shepherd would manoeuvre them around from tibba to teela (Sand dune), to a toba (pond) or to a khu (well). Night halt used to be where there was water. A ‘tanka’ (artificial water storage underground tank) in which rainwater is harvested, is also used as a watering hole.   What about the shepherd? How would he quench his thirst? Often, they would drink the same water which the animals drank. We would spit it out due to its saltiness but they are used to it. They would drink lots of milk, which kept them hydrated.   Herdsmen would be accompanied with a donkey or two. In Fauji terminology, it used to be his IRG (Immediate Replenishm

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