Friday 2 September 2011

Being left handed

Being a LEFTY.


" You laugh at me because I am different.
  I laugh at you, because you are all the same " 
                                             - A random SMS forward.

Its not as easy at you would think it is. But its not as bad as it is sounding like right now.
Firstly, let me tell you what made me write about this.
I was invited to a Pooja ( holy ceremony) today and was asked to help the Panditji with the.. well.. stuff.
So while I was adding ghee to a diya, the pandit interrupted.
"Galat haath hai"
"Do it with ur right hand" said my mum who was standing behind me.
That reminded me it was "unholy" to use my left hand for auspicious reasons.
In a right hand dominated world, 10% of the population would agree to atleast 90% of what I am writing here.

To begin with, while at school and really young, my teacher asked my parents to "visit a doctor" since I wrote with the 'wrong hand'.
Apparently, I cud even write upside down while at math, and she was concerned about it. What was wrong with that, I fail to understand. She forced me to write the usual way and now I can no more write upside down.
:(

Strangely, the best and the worst part about being lefty is the unwanted attention you get for no reason.
Its good when you like attention, but while you are writing an exam paper and the teacher is staring at your style of writing while you are just bluffing in an answer, you tend to get really nervous and prefer stopping to write for a moment till the woman stops being fascinated about a tiny little thing!

While I was growing up, it was really difficult using the scissors. You don't really get left handed scissors too easy here, and frankly, I didn't really find the need to look for one, since I am quite used to it now.



The most difficult of all although, was using a gel pen or an ink pen.
The problem with it is that whatever you write, gets washed off onto your sleeve. Blots of ink on the paper and your hands/sleeve.



Later, I joined my guitar lessons while I was 14.
I was told that you don't get guitars which are left handed (false) and I ended up learning it the "right" way.
[Playing guitar is fun btw !]

During High school, we had chairs which had a desk on the right where you could keep a book and write, while its open from the left, from where you sit.
Thankfully, my High school had a few left handed chairs.

Recently, at a course of GMCS ie General Management and communication skills, there was a faculty visit and the teacher was teaching us dining table manners.
I told her I was left handed and she said - whatever handed you are, you are supposed to be eating like I tell you to, which is : fork in left, knife in right.
Thanks to Google, I don't trust that teacher ( or most teachers for that matter).

Even though I have adapted to going to a restaurant and switching my cutlery from one side to the other, and making sure as far as I can remind myself to, to sit at the left hand corner of the table so that I do not bump into my colleague's right hand while we are eating, I would not want to be ordered to eat with someone else's insights on how it is appropriate to.

Did I mention how difficult it is to play cards?


[That ugly hand isn't mine and even though this person is holding it in his right hand, its because he is a righty using left handed cards. You don't really get them easily in India.]

Using a screwdriver, or a camcoder, or a can opener for that matter is difficult, but getting used to it and being challenged (yes, I did use that word on a silly thing) for the tiniest things, who doesn't enjoy that?

Especially if you get to be more musical, artistic, emotional and perceptive in return, it's fun :D

1 comment:

  1. I dnt think being a left handed is such a big deal even being right handed ppl do things rngly n do things in a rng way nyways
    Barack obama
    Angelina jolie
    Julia roberts
    Bill clinton
    Tom cruise
    Bill gates
    Rani laxmi bai
    Yuvraj singh
    Mahatma gandhi
    Amitabh bachhan
    Are some of d ppl who r left handed n thy r most succesful n disiplined ppl in d world so we r proud of u

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