Blinker .....A short autobiography of a traffic signal

My name is Blinker and I stand here at one of the busiest squares in the silicon valley of India. I have seen this square for the past decade ever since I was installed here. We were four young signals, new recruits of the Bangalore Traffic department. Before coming here We were thoroughly tested in our company and had tough training for our lights and circuits. The four of us were placed in all different directions. I was the shortest one and was placed in the quietest side of the square. My other partners were given the main road. They were even taller and strong, they even had pedestrian lights . I still get nervous when I think about that first red I gave. It was a small car ,a maruti 800, I wonder where its gone nowadays. In it was a family happily returning after buying a land not very far . I immediately turned into Fiery red after my partner in the north gave me the control. Being the youngest I had the smallest interval for red . They said that my direction required lesser authority. But it was enough for me that time. My lights were clear and the car immediately stopped right before the stop line as the humans call it but I prefer to call it the line of control, it made me feel more important :-) .  I was so jittery that I could feel the heat on my wires .I skipped the yellow and gave a green directly, but being the first time I was let off with a warning from my senior partner , the Bridge Road blinker.

I picked up the timings very fast and I was radiant enough  . All the vehicles ,most of them regulars had fear of my red very soon and respected it. Then time ticked by , day by day there were more vehicles . There were trucks, trolleys, vans and suddenly there were new colonies as if I was standing right in the middle of a moist forest and mushrooms were springing up in every corner. I was experienced now and they even increased my height and gave new extra bright lamps. The street like road suddenly appeared like a flooded river of tarmac. Now there were solid pavements and I was even given the free left light, that definitely made me smarter and more flashier! .

It was a Sunday I clearly remember; the corporation truck unloaded some really tall, sleek and elegant lights. Within hours there stood her, oh what a beauty, sodium lamps, silver paint standing by the side of the road. That very night She saw me for the first time, I almost lost my fuses , even my free left flasher stopped for a second. What brilliant glow on that hazy night. She made the entire area glow as If an angel was using her magic wand spreading a golden hue. The pavement, the road , the zebra line even the stop line bore a different look every night . My partners were soon envying me because they were on the main roads and the lights there were  too tall and arrogant , even there light pinched and were not so beautiful like her.Very soon Ms Goldy lights (that’s what I started calling her with affection) was a part of the square and my life .

My shift timings were clear ,0730 hours to 2200 hours  . After that we switched on our yellow lights and left it on the humans . Her timing was different but we managed to catch up and had our own sweet moments . There would only be some dogs and some drunkards at such late hours . Some times a knocked off cheap guy would fall right under her light . That particularly enraged me as to how careless humans could be . Anyways she was so diligent in her duty , that  she never did blank out despite all the harsh winds , rain or thunder . She kept showing the right path to all who came . Things were going so fine and I was completely engrossed in my schedule and her. We soon became very close friends . There was a sense of understanding between us and we had some sort of connection. Her light was so soothing that even animals used to be very comfortable under her golden shade . There was a particular a stray pup  which used to lie down daily on her side of pavement .  We named it Bruno . It was too naughty I still recall , always used to make me wet with it's particular style of acrobatic peeing  ,shameless creature !.  It was always on guard to protect Miss goldy lights and no dog dared to come close to her . At least It was exempted from my anger for that . But I used to like Bruno even more when after the whole day of mischief’s and food hunting , it would lay down silently under her lights just like a baby in her mother’s lap . Somehow It recognized my  feelings & affection  , I don’t know what’s with these creatures they can sense the good feelings . There were some wicked dogs which came one day but my brave Bruno stood guard not just for Miss goldy but even for me and I came under the territory of Bruno from that day onwards. Things couldn’t have been better for the 3 of us.

Time passed away like traffic passing on a Sunday afternoon. 5 years from then, the square was even larger , pavements were removed to make way for the thousands of vehicles carelessly passing from there .

 The stop line and zebra line started disappearing . I became dark and black from the ever increasing dust and smoke emanating from the vehicles. I really don't know what happened to these people , there was a kind of unexplained  hurry as if it was some large ant colony gone haywire  . People no more respected my red , even they didn't do the same for Bridge road blinker sir who was already quite old now but still had the fury in his red. Nobody followed the lane discipline and I could see that even the ambulances carrying their own sick one's had a tough time crossing our square . There was lot of burden now and all that honking made it even difficult for us . The rates of the accidents suddenly rose up and we could not do anything for it. One day it happened, a careless truck came out of nowhere from the bridge side and went straight into Mr. Bridge road blinker. The impact was so strong that it knocked him out of the ground, there were wires and pieces of glass everywhere. He had the strongest foundation among all of us but was thrown apart from ground just like all the innocent trees around us which were pulled off right from their roots. That was the last time I saw him lying there but still that fury red still on. He was taken away and a new guy came there who could never match the strength and authority of Mr. bridge road blinker .Painted in chrome, He had new generation LED lights and even a new CCTV camera with him to catch the jumpers. All others were just fascinated by his artificial charm but I was not . He looked so lean and flimsy .

With more time I went pale, my lights were no more radiant. My paint was scratched, I was spitted upon and there were numerous posters everywhere on me. My free left blinker which I was so proud of broke down and kept hanging like a fractured limb. Nobody used to care for us now and within a year my other two seniors could not take it and gave up . There were too replaced by the smarter new generation blinkers as they called them. Now I was the oldest of them all , they used to mock me by dimming their lights and occasionally skipping my chance for green. I just used to bear it somehow with a heavy heart but all of this I was able to take because of her , every evening we would talk about the things , the birds which used to come and Bruno’s  daily activities .

There was nothing now ,just a long carpet of vehicles to eternity. I could very well see , she was in a very bad state , now she used to take almost an hour to light up and there were all kinds of bugs dead and alive around her bulbs. Even her bulbs had been changed twice . Careless drivers collided everyday and made her bend  . The beauty she had was no more . Her replacements had been placed on the other side of the road. A whole bunch of wires was wound upon her . She became really weak but still used to cheer me up with her lovely golden gaze. Bruno now used to spend most of it’s time lying near Miss goldy . It was as if there was something it was aware of . Then one fine morning , There was a loud crackling sound and the lady went down with grace . Her sodium lamps were out on the road . She was bent like a hook and nobody would believe that it was the same sleek and polished beauty that came to the square some years before. I was devastated and the whole day I did not blink. It was like a loss which I had not thought of . I could not even say goodbye to her . She had served her duties well and even on her last night she had the fairy glow that no lamp can ever match. But now she was gone and there was no more golden haze . Bruno could not understand and kept barking continuously as if asking where she had gone. It was restless and found me as the most appropriate place to be safe. But how could my flashing yellow nights in the night match the beautiful and elegant light of Miss Goldy. How could I give the same respite to the poor creature.

 I started becoming very weak , I kept on getting fused and my wires were torn . I could not get her out of my circuits and my timing went for a toss .the new constable noticed this over weeks and informed his superior. I overheard that very soon a solution would be found.  Traffic was now like a stampede in a jungle . There was absolutely no control now, even the new guys found it hard to manage and kept giving their whole strength to hold on. It was just me and Bruno now, but fate had something else written. On the very spot where Miss goldy stood , Bruno was knocked down by a speeding car due to darkness . Poor creature still thought of it as some game and took his last breath wagging its tail.

For the first time I was cursing the Indians for their slow  work. I don’t know why they were taking so long to take me out. I was no longer useful as a signal now .I was more of a metal pipe for posters in the middle of the road. Day in and out I have suffered with the agony and pain of watching the same spot over and over again where I lost my dear one’s . Now I have heard that finally some work is done and they are coming tonight to take us all, even the new guys .The square is going to be closed down and there will be a new flyover made to tackle the humongous volume of traffic. I think the Indian’s have finally realized that Blinker’s won’t really help in controlling themselves. They are so used to go over each other that only a flyover can meet their demands.  Just as I tell you this , the corporation crew has finally arrived to relieve me of my duties  . I have seen it all , the fear that people once had  , the smiles on their faces Whenever I went green . I have felt love , affection , envy and pride . My job was to protect people and I have dutifully done that  . 

This now is the end of my blinking life and I am pretty happy  & content as I go down because I have lived a life much colorful than just the 3 colors of Red , yellow and green…..

Original Concept and written by Nimit Selot: 12^th August 2011 © 2011, All Rights Reserved