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ELLIS' GARDEN 06 AUGUST 2025

šŸ’– DIL KHUSH šŸ’–



















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FINGER ON YOUR LIPS

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   29/IV/2025   What has happened to Pakistan? While India is doing Fauji Exercises, Pakistan has mobilised for what! I agree that the people of India want revenge. But, from whom? Our PM has only said that “we will not leave the terrorists and their supporters till the end of the Earth”. He has never said he will sort out Pakistan, or has he?   It has been hilarious watching discussions on Paki social media channels. They seem to have already given up. Our RM meets the PM and Pakistan starts shitting bricks. They talk about jazba and gazwa, and start telling us about their nuclear arsenal. 160 I suppose. By the way we will send across one equivalent to your 160 if need be.   There is a saying, ‘Chor ki Dari main tinka” literal meaning is, a straw in a thief’s beard. However, the deep meaning is that a guilty person reveals his guilt through his behaviour, even unintentionally. Clearly, “a guilty conscious needs no accuser”...
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SCENE AT ELLIS’ RESTAURANT

    LT COL NOEL ELLIS   04/XI/2024   Every morning the scene in the Ellis’ restaurant is so refreshing. The notes birds sing sounds like ‘reveille’ being sounded by the buglers. The ‘scenario’ keeps varying with arrival of different birds at different timings.   It is like being a restaurant owner, working solo with minimum help. Yours truly is the waiter, housekeeper, cook, receptionist, barman, purchase manager, accountant, and storekeeper of this shack. Imagine!   Foremost thing in the morning is housekeeping of the garden area, followed by watering the pots. This gives the plants a nice bath, like kids being readied for school.   The first set of ‘clients’ called the ‘Tailor Birds’ appear. They love to hunt for insects which get disturbed by the watering ritual. They sing and dance, hop and skip and carry on chasing moths and worms, without bothering about my presence.   By then the Bulbuls and the Sparrows start lini...
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IF THERE IS A WAR…...

    LT COL NOEL ELLIS   28/IV/2025   I remember the 1971 war as a small child. We were in Kapurthala Punjab, very close to the Pakistan border. It was an evening in December, I do not remember the exact date. While returning from a friends house, the declaration of war was done as I skipped along the ‘Thandi Sarak’ of Kapurthala.   The gist was that a vehicle with loud speakers was telling people to head home as an "emergency" had been declared and war had started. I ran as fast as I could, shivering with fear and my heart beating unusually fast. Though I was a lap baby when the 1965 war had taken place, it appeared serious business now.   Overnight, Dad and other Uncles started digging trenches infront of our homes. Carbon paper was no dearth in a teachers house, so mom got into an overdrive to stick them to the glass windows. Though the glass had been painted during the 1965 war, some broken panes had been replaced. Mom told ...
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A TRIBUTE TO INDIA’s FINANCIAL WIZARD

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   27/XII/2024   Last night one heard a heart-breaking news of the passing away of Dr Manmohan Singh. A sardar with a big Dil and a sharp Dimag. My heartfelt condolences to the family and every citizen of India.   Let me share an anecdote of a chance encounter with his office three decades ago. It was in 1993-94, he was the then ‘Finance Minister’ of India.   The story goes that we were part of the "Ski-Himalaya Expedition". The expedition was preparing to traverse a 1500 km ski touring voyage from Karakoram Pass to the base of Mount Kailash in Nepal passing through the states of J&K, Himachal Pradesh and UP.   Those days, it was not easy to fund the expedition. We found a few sponsors. Let me confess, we were under the Army adventure cell for the preparations. The internal ‘red tapeism’ was killing us. Delays in procuring equipment due to the complex ‘Kagzi Karwai’ was taking too much time. Our window of skiin...
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LOCUST WITHOUT A “L”

  LOCUST WITHOUT A “L”   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   14/IX/2024   They say if you wish for something with a noble heart, it gets fulfilled. Had I asked for the moon, I would have got it today. Was it a coincidence? I am not sure. To find out please read on.   A friend of mine had asked me about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ insects in a garden, on which I wrote an article. In that, I had mentioned a kind of grasshopper called the ‘Locust’. It is a bright yellowish green insect. It is sometimes seen in our garden. They create havoc if found in swarms, but one or two do not harm much.   After writing the article, I wished I had a photo of the Locust. Digging it out from the archives could add colour but that would have been time consuming.   Having posted the article, I walked out of the house to check on the blooms of the day. There was a large variety with vibrant colours gracing the garden. A treat to the eyes and soul.   Just then my eyes...
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A PERFECT GARDENER

    Most of us are parents and grandparents now. All of us have brought up our children and now are looking after Gen Z. We gave our children and their children the best of best.   With that as an opening remark, let me shift focus to gardening. I am no expert on parenting or gardening. We went with the tide of highs and lows. The churns and turmoil. Even if we consider ourselves as perfect parents, can we be perfect gardeners?   The answer in both cases would be a big NO. When you look back, there is something more which could have been done. Things could have been done differently. There is no perfect template which can fit all.   One saw the kid take baby steps, then their growth stage and then they matured and ready to bear their own children. What is in store in the future? No one knows.   Having said that, let me return to the topic of Gardening. This would interest gardening enthusiasts. Are you a perfect gardener?   My p...
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A BREAK FROM BLOGGING

    Christmas week is a busy week and spills over to the New Year. Friends and family get together, rejoice, make merry and strengthen bonds. It is cold and wintry, the reason to indulge in relishing plum and rum cakes and pakwans, dry fruits and puddings and be at peace.   However, too much rest to my ‘finger tips’ was catching with me both with the laptop keys and the ‘click button’ of the camera. Sometimes, it is good to take a break or if one can call it a ‘fast’ of a different sort. It is a good time to sit down, chill, run down and reflect on things which are now memories in the year coming to an end. How time flies!   We had a dinner planned for my chaddi-buddies and their families last evening. We were looking forward to having fun and lots of laughter. However, in all this milieu, some little things had to be done like feeding the fish on the roof, lest I miss out.   As I opened the roof door, my eyes lit up when I saw a white breasted k...
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AN OPEN LETTER TO CM PUNJAB

An open letter to Mr Bhagwant Maan on this officer and his son being beaten up so brutally at Patiala. My sympathies with the family and I am sure justice will not be delayed or denied.   AN OPEN LETTER TO CM PUNJAB   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   22/III/2025   Maan jog Bhagwant Maan Saab. Main ek chota jeha sabak fauji haan. Aj majbbor hoke main aa chitti tunahu likh reha han, kyon ki dil andron dukhi hai. Tuhade thalle te tuhadi sarkar de which Patiala police ne jo kuj ek Serving Army de officer te os de munde naal kitta hai o sharmnaak hai ate darshonda hai ki aj di tareekh which Punjab police te tuhada koi control nahi hai. Aj takreeban dus din ho gaye han, te tussi Khamosh ho.   Police da kam sirf kuttapa chaarna hunda hai? Ja ke aam shahri waste eho jeha mahul paida karna ki banda safe feel kare. Bande nu bharosa hove ki haan mera koi mai baap hai. Lor pain te oh meri madad waaste aauga. Par lagda hai ke hun scene badal gaya hai.   Maa...
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IT IS CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN

  IT IS CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN   LT COL NOEL ELLIS   23/XII/2024   Christmas time is here. We waited all year for the ‘yule tide’ to come. Cold weather, celebrations, parties, carol singing, pot luck dinners, picnic, socialising, variety of winter flowers, Christmas trees, non veg preparations, baking Christmas cakes and Pakwans is synonymous to Christmas. Last but not the least we fondly remember the ones who have slept in the Lord.   The house looks Christmassy and smells Christmassy too. Buntings, decorations, lighting up the home, and decorating the Christmas tree is done. The Carol Singing party visited our home and sang with full josh.   Rejuvenating friendship, kinship, relationships, bonds, and ties is the essence of Christmas. Rekindling and remembering good old days and friends are part of the merry making. Festivities, feasting and gifting will extend well into the new year.   Our kitchen would be the hub centre of...
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