Skip to main content

SIMPLE MANTRA

 


 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

01/XI/2025

 

As we step into the month of November. It amazes me how the rest of the year just went by in a flash. The weather went through its phases. The earth spun on its axis and revolved around the sun. One has been lucky to watch the sun and moon rise and set almost everyday. A blessing which many of us miss out on.

 

Flowers and plants went through the grind. Some flowered profusely and some refused to flower. Some showed buds but couldn’t reach maturity due to so many reasons. The ones which bloomed brought so much pleasure that they made our ‘Dil Khush’.

 

The happiness which I experience is because of a cumulative effect of so many things. Health has been fine, family has been good, gadgets in the house have not been giving problems. Friends have been so kind and loving that if we don’t meet, it creates a vacuum.

 

The most important thing that has added to this happiness is to detach myself from most social media. One sees very few “original” posts. Rest of them are forwards and forwarded without thinking or even on purpose to excite, incite and vitiate the atmosphere. Depends on how you take it. Keeping a distance is so satisfying.

 

Moving away from rotten views which is happening on the news is bliss. The presenters and their presentation are so awfully distasteful, if I can use the word, as if there is a war going on in the studios. The anchor is under attack, sirens blow, the reporter pants as if under Paki shelling, even if he or she is covering a Satsang. The background score of music, beats and drumming is unbearable along with the news.

 

At the cost of missing out on current affairs, the newspaper we subscribe to goes unread to the compost bin. No news is good news. How does it matter what Trump does to the world? I cannot do an F**K about it.

 

The recent girls world cup cricket semi finals uplifted my mood and spirit. It was a pleasure to see the young blood hammer the Kangaroos nice and proper. The credit goes to each one in blue who toiled and sweated till the last over. They deserve mine and the nation's salute. Hats off my dears and all the best for the finals.

 

If your idiot box remains dark and silent for most of the day, you are bound to smile more. What one hears on shows and debates can affect our mental health which I refuse to fall prey to. Watching songs, movies and channels like discovery and Nat geo calm me down.

 

Indulging in hobbies like reading, writing, gardening, and photography that I pursue ensures that there is no time for distractions. As it is there is so much pollution in the atmosphere.

 

Why keep the ‘mind polluted’ with force fed thoughts of misaligned anchors and tool kits. Media appears to be sold. Why should I buy their wares? I refuse to consume the nonsense they dish out. One click on the remote and there is peace.

 

Politicians are another category of people who raise blood pressure. They need not be running the country, but they could be in the society, family, and environment. More the distance from “dirty politics” the better it is. You can decide for yourself.

 

Another suggestion is to keep away from Social Media groups, which I do. There is nothing which you miss. One forward can circulate around the planet in seconds, filling up memory of your mobile. It is better to keep the mobile uncluttered.

 

‘AI’ is another thing which is catching on. One has to keep abreast but then one has to be aware of forced manipulation. Your mind is not safe and so is your bank account. One slip and there goes your money. Digital arrest, morphed photos, and you name it. What is true and what is false is difficult to judge. One bite and you bit an apple.

 

Many may not agree with me & many may shoot this messenger, but the mute point is, less the ‘litter’ of any kind on your table and in your mind, life looks much better.

 

Healthy discussions are passe. Disagreements, intolerance, religious biases’, trolling, and political interference are meddling with our lives every minute. The farther you stay from them, life sails in fair winds. Try it.

 

Wishing my friends a happy new month. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay happy and smile. Meet friends with whom you can bare your chest with, not with people who misconstrue, misinterpret, manipulate, misread, misunderstand, or make an issue out of a tissue.

 

https://youtu.be/c-4-80j_iYk

 

A simple mantra for a better life. Do I make sense? I wonder!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

©® NOEL ELLIS

Comments

  1. Absolutely true,Sir! Total detox is required nowadays more frequently,caway from SM and the Idiot Box, in the company of good friends, laughter and golf!! The best three mantras for a happy life!! Also one good hobby or interest!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This month flowers very nice sir

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes Brother. You always make a lot of sense. Brilliant are you and brilliant are your insights. Stay Blessed.

    ReplyDelete
  4. MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR1 November 2025 at 22:28

    Awesome !!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Excellent suggestions Noel! I agree with every word.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes you do certainly
    Today it’s a cacophony all over
    Less you hear or listen more the better
    God knows where the world is going to
    Your article has managed to rummage each and every corner of life šŸ‘ŒšŸ‘Œ

    ReplyDelete
  7. Fully in sync with your views Noel. The u tube att is beautiful indeed...thanks dear...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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”...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

RUNNING TO TOWN

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   24/IV/2024   As they say, “Jab geedar ki ‘maut’ ati hai woh Shahar ki taraf bhagta hai”. (When a jackal wants to die, it runs towards the town). It simply implies that when someone is in ‘deep trouble’, he takes certain wrong steps and gets into agony himself. It also means that if correct actions are not taken timely, then chances are things go wrong.   Another implication of this idiom is that when someone wants to ‘avoid trouble’, he choses a wrong path or when one faces difficult times, he goes looking for advice and solutions from wrong people and places, jeopardising his own existence.   Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this straight away applies to our troublesome neighbour Pakistan and specifically to the thought process and mindset of their Army Chief General Asim Munir, who revealed it in the lecture he gave to the overseas Pakistanis recently.   I say this in the context of the ‘massacre’ and ‘savagery’ these dastards did in Pahal...

A SPEECH

  LT COL NOEL ELLIS   19/IV/2025   Imagine when your “sir ka jhoomar becomes gale ki haddi”, then what happens. That was one Jumla I picked up from the Pak Army Chief’s speech which he delivered in Islamabad to Overseas Pakistanis. They are dual citizenship holders. Their ticket it appears had been paid by the state of Pakistan, I reckon.   An Army Chief addressing a gathering of people who at the very first instance decided to “Pakistan se Zinda Bhag” is uncalled for. If I read correctly between the lines, it was not to impress his countrymen but somehow convince the audience to remit dollars to ensure he and his ilk get their salaries, a plot of land on retirement and an assured pension. Rest of the countrymen can scavenge for all he cares.   Above all, the PM of Pakistan and his cabinet were in attendance. The Chief’s political ambitions were clear and his speech was a subtle message to them that the Army is ‘THE Mai Baap’, as he flexed the ...

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...