NOEL ELLIS' GOOGLE BLOG

Gallinula chloropus or waterhen or swamp chicken at the river front ❤️ DIL KHUSH ❤️

  BLUE LAND VS RED LAND   LT COL NOEL ELLIS 14/VI/2024   Reasi terrorist attack has been in the news recently. Since then, there have been a series of attacks by these dastards. Surprisingly, not in the Kashmir valley but south of the Pir Panjal range. Is it a new ploy by the terrorists? Have their support bases shifted to Jammu region and Punjab? Or, is it a precursor to something big that they are planning? Your guess is as good as mine. Though, I stay away from the Idiot box generally, but due to the cricket world cup, I do tune in. There was a break in the match and I flicked channels, just to catch up with some news. My favourite channels are WION and DD English. The problem was a channel in between these two. Two forces had already broken the “Cease Fire’. Prithvi Missiles had already been launched; Shaheen was launched to counter it. Some Agni missiles were sent off to be countered by Ghauri and Ghaznavi. It was like the battle of Kurukshetra of M...

  We humans need to learn to live in Harmony

  TRAGEDY AT REASI   LT COL NOEL ELLIS 12/VI/2024   One more dastardly attack on innocent pilgrims passing through Reasi needs to be condemned. Ten lives have been confirmed lost and 30 injured is heartbreaking. Every channel I tuned into was blaming Pakistan and their support to terrorism which continues unabated. Why don’t we blame ourselves for a change and accept that we have not been able to screw the daylights out of these so called “misguided’ youth? Who is misguiding them and why, isn’t it very well known? A combing operation has been launched. The guilty shall be punished at any ‘cost’, they say. Nonsense! 10+30 lives, a bus, few widows & widowers, orphaned children, bread earners lost, is no less a cost. Security forces will now be under pressure to hunt them. In the bargain, there could be fatalities and injuries to them too. Locals would be put to inconvenience with road blocks, cordon & searches. Naka’s, frisking & checking would...

  PATTA BANK   LT COL NOEL ELLIS 11/VI/2024   It gives us great pleasure to announce that we have been blessed with ‘thirty’ babies. Surprised! We are feeling so happy to welcome them to our fold. Let me cut the mystery short. A few days back, I had started a project of planting Moringa/Drumstick seeds. Seed pods were available next doors and were beckoning to be taken home. To plant them, we had enough nursery bags. Every time we pick up seasonal flowers, bags hang around. We do not tear/shear them, but save them. I reused 50 of them for this project. Two empty coconut shells were also used as improvised pots to germinate seeds. Their roots shall stay protected and hydrated naturally. We also have started our own ‘Patta Bank’. Sounds funny. It is the oldest bank on earth. The interest it gives on deposits is mind blowing. No bank, share or mutual fund can give such overwhelming returns. This bank charges no fee but gives you super compounded interest. There are no employ...

  Black Winged Stilt makes my Dil Khush 💙

  NATURES ORCHESTRA   LT COL NOEL ELLIS 09/VI/2024   At 5 in the morning, the air is still warm in the Suncity. Add another hour and allow the sun to peep over the horizon, hot air becomes hotter. Let another hour pass, the third superlative of hot stands. Be that as it may. An early morning walk is time to declutter the mind & enjoy the ‘sounds of silence’, listen to nature's orchestra play the warming up notes. Imagine being in the audience of nature's amphitheatre. At times you meet a fellow morning walker and wish him. Many do not even look at you. The reason is the “Kaan-Khajura” better known as ‘ear plugs’. They wish you back only if they notice you as if ‘maine unki ghore tapasya bhang kar di ho’. What do they listen to? Probably Bhajans, Hymns, Kirtans, Updesh, Shabad, which is definitely required for inner peace. Aim is to listen to music for the soul. Whatever be your preference, you are most welcome to continue, no sweat. I prefer to walk with that gadget c...

  LIFE LONG BONDS   LT COL NOEL ELLIS 08/VI/2024   08 June 1985 was a historic day in our lives for all those who took the final step or the ‘Antim Pag’ at IMA Dehradun, moving to greener pastures after having toiled and sweated in an ecosystem which very few have the privilege of living in. We were in our teens with many of us sans hair to grow a moustache when we had joined NDA. By the time we had reached IMA. Battle hardened Cadets were elevated to Gentlemen Cadets. For an Ex NDA, who had done ‘Hackle Order’ of a different kind, which meant you were ‘heckled’ to pack your bags, empty your cabin, and stand outside as if ready to go home. IMA, it meant wearing a drill order, with a hackle on your beret. What a relief it was! I was getting sentimental. From IMA my mind drifted to NDA days, where shaving was considered as a ritual which could not be avoided on any day of the week. ‘NDA Dastoor’ was such that even if you had ‘half a hair’ on your face, it ...

  Pollinators make my 💙 DIL KHUSH 🖤

  THIRST   LT COL NOEL ELLIS 06/VI/2024   People in Rajasthan are dying due to heat stroke and dehydration. With the mercury hovering around the 50° C mark, add a few degrees if one is in direct sunlight, sweat evaporates without you knowing it. It is tough to beat such weather. It is not only humans; it is the flora and fauna which too are feeling the heat. Cattle congregate under trees. Birds are perching under every leaf. During the day everything looks so dull, with no movement of man, bird, or beast. Only those who cannot but travel are seen on the road. Folks keep sending me videos and photos to keep water for the birds as a noble gesture during the summer. None of them have sent what they are doing to practice what they preach. We as a family are not only quenching the thirst of birds but also feeding them grain. Besides, we let the bees freely enjoy a drink in our water lily tubs. To understand what is a beeline, one has to see to believe when they...

  "BLUSH" makes my 💟 DIL KHUSH 🤍

  HAPPY TREE PLANTATION   LT COL NOEL ELLIS 03/VI/2024   Summers in the Suncity are terrible. 50° C and rising is by no means comfortable for man or beast. The only way out to bring the mercury down is by planting more trees. Our colony is green and has a good tree cover. Still, there are places where gaps exist. They need to be filled soon. Results may take years but nevertheless. We as a family have decided to provide free tree saplings to the residents of our colony. If they care for these plants for one ‘cycle of seasons’, our aim would be achieved. We have felt the distinct difference of a few degrees in temperature when we enter our colony from outside. The drop is palpable. The reason is obvious, greenery and trees. Moringa was our first choice. Though not very shady, but is loaded with medicinal values. Every household makes sambar and needs souring agents. There is nothing better than the pods, flowers, and leaves of this plant. Having collected...

  Zindagi, kaisi hai paheli........