Signatures

It's been quite some time since I've written anything, but now I've found something that has inspired me - one of my newest passions, driving. I feel, it is one of the biggest advantages of being over eighteen years. Although it's been more than a year since I got the licence, I began having fun only when I was given a brand new car, one that nobody else drives. Driving it gives me a unique experience not because it is new but because it is exclusive.

Initially, I was terrified because there was no one to guide me, and to make matters worse, I had to learn to drive on a new car and if I made a single scratch it would show. There was only my mother who would sit beside me "instructing" me to slow down, although ending up just distracting me. Because of her ceaseless talking, one day I hit the tail-lights of three motorcyclists (or bikists) at three different signals on the same ride. And, understandably, I was shaken by the end of the ride and cried real hard out of sheer exasperation. That was when I really began to LEARN to drive. There is nothing really that can be TAUGHT about driving except changing gears and applying brakes, but to learn to drive is different. It requires experience and, more importantly, careful observation. I began to listen to my car and understand it, I observed every response it gave to the inputs it got. I slowly learnt how much to turn the steering wheel during a U-turn, how to ignore every other passenger in the car, and most importantly, when and how much to brake. I also learnt to go easy on the accelerator, how to change gears smoothly, drive on slopes effortlessly.

And there is one other important thing. Although this might sound repetitive, it is absolutely essential to be able to predict the movements of the vehicle ahead of you. To predict when it will brake and how much. Every city has its own special rules and norms, for example, how much the average distance between two cars at a signal is highly dependent on its population. The more the traffic, the lesser is the gap. Similarly, every city is characterized by its own traffic discipline. It is not possible to drive the same way in each city just as it is not possible to drive each car the same way. One needs to constantly observe and respond. It is beautiful in its dynamicism.

And, that's the reason I think signatures are very very special. Each one is unique, dynamic and ever-changing. And, I begin to feel that every object we come in close contact with, every user-object relationship has its own signature stamped on it. I doubt if even a single commodity can be said to be created to perfection. The ones that last long are the ones that are most out of shape, the most battered yet they can be applied to perfection. There's nothing as imperfect as a new object and nothing just as amenable. We lend a flavour to the objects we exclusively use - our toothbrushes, our rooms, our shoes, our homes, our guitars, our notebooks, our fountain pens, our computers, our gadgets, our cars, and of course our CITIES!!