MY WORKING LIFE
One look at your handwriting and Manish Pande can reveal all your secrets. For a change, Friday finds out his secrets.
He could perhaps wield a lot of power – thanks to his ability to analyse people’s personality traits and characteristics just by studying their handwriting. But India-based graphologist Manish Pande, who says he has rarely been proven wrong, believes power comes with a lot of responsibility.
How did you choose this unique career, Manish? After graduation, I worked as an accountant in Pune, India, but soon found the job routine and boring. One day, I confided to a friend that I was in search of an exciting career and he suggested handwriting analysis. I haven’t looked back since.
How did you qualify in the field?
I have completed an official certification course from Handwriting University International, USA. I’m also a qualified trainer and an authorised mentor from this University.
So, what is graphology?
Graphology is a scientific method of identifying, evaluating and understanding a person’s personality by studying the strokes and patterns in his handwriting sample. Just like every person has a unique thumb impression and retina, handwriting, too, is unique to every individual.
What can you detect from handwriting? Handwriting reveals numerous elements of a person’s personality and character. From glimpses into the subconscious mind and emotional responses to intellect, energy, fears and defenses, it also reveals motivations, imagination, integrity, aptitudes and issues of trust. A handwriting can reveal over 100 traits.
What does it not reveal?
It cannot identify age, gender, race, religion, whether a person is right- or left-handed, or the future.
Can you tell if a person has a criminal bent of mind just by studying his handwriting?
Not definitively but I can make an educated guess; a combination of certain traits can warn of possible criminal tendencies such as whether the person is likely to obey or break rules, has
aggressive tendencies or is likely to steal. A person’s handwriting cannot reveal whether a person has or will commit a crime.
Is it necessary that the handwriting sample has to be in English?
No, I can analyse a person’s handwriting in any language as it is about reading the various strokes. It is not necessary for me to know the language.
Do you feel the need to do more than one analysis to be accurate?
I’ve been pursuing this profession for the past 16 years and can analyse a person’s personality in three seconds. So, no, I don’t need to see many samples of a person’s handwriting to come to a conclusion about his character.
That must be making you feel very powerful? I’ve worked really hard to reach this level of expertise and while I believe power comes with responsibility, I’m very proud of my achievements.
Have you ever been proven wrong?
Yes, in my initial days when I’d just started off in this career. I was not completely wrong but, I wasn’t able to reach a definite conclusion.
Since people’s handwriting often changes over time, does that mean their character changes? Every person’s handwriting changes after five years due to various reasons. So, yes, one’s character will change accordingly.
Thanks to the advent of digital devices, most of us don’t write as often as we used to and that has led to our handwriting visibly deteriorating. Does that affect the analysis in any way? No, it does not because your handwriting doesn’t affect your thought process. It’s quite like riding a bicycle or swimming – which is a spontaneous action.
Can you improve yourself by making changes to your handwriting?
Yes, grapho-therapy, in which I’m trained, can help you do that. The process includes guidelines on how you can tweak your signature and writing on customised grapho-therapy sheets for about six to eight months. The process is known to bring about a marked change in the person in a positive way.
Is bad handwriting synonymous with a poor character?
No, poor handwriting bears no reflection on the person’s character. Every handwriting sample will reveal some good traits and some bad. We cannot – and should not – jump to conclusions before analysing the sample.
Are there any unique styles of writing that immediately give away the person’s personality traits?
Yes, for example, if you sign your name in lower case, it signifies you are underestimating yourself in your professional life.
How do you keep yourself updated, and what is your accuracy rate?
I keep myself updated by pursuing online courses from my university. As for my accuracy rate, it is about 85 per cent. This is based on the feedback I’ve received from my clients.
Is handwriting analysis accepted in court?
It is accepted in quite a few countries, particularly in cases of theft, rape, murders and smuggling.
Have you changed your own handwriting? No, I’ve never tweaked my own handwriting.
Certain traits [in a person’s handwriting] can warn of possible criminal tendencies, such as whether the person likely to steal