JOIN USWhen the rest of the world goes right, dare to go left - sounds quite inspirational but only a leftie will know the consequences of breaking the mould. From awkwardly-designed desks to right-handed gadgets, this minority has faced many a hurdle in an overwhelmingly right-handed world.
The first encounter with discrimination is in the form of right-handed 'L' shaped desks in schools and colleges. Increased flexibility is a byproduct of this circumstance since you have to twist your entire body around to be able to write. Ballpoint pens, watches, measuring tapes, cooking tools and even the gaming console controller do not make life any easier while scissors are a medieval torture device for 'Southpaws'.
Smudging your entire hand is a common affair and spiral bound notebooks only add insult to injury. Banks and other institutions usually have chained pens that are too short to reach one's left hand and more than one frustrated soul has been left yanking away at the offending instrument.
Says Kriti Bajaj, freelance writer and editor, "Bumping elbows with right-handed students in school or while eating meals are common hiccups. But I guess we adapt to everything. I solved the problem of smudged writing by changing the angle at which I write."
"Once, when I was attending a literary event, I happened to be sitting beside an Indian author, who noticed me writing and said I had a very good handwriting "for a southpaw". I am still not sure what to think about that - are we notorious for crappy handwriting?" she wonders.
Lefties in India are even more disadvantaged because of social norms. Being left-handed has been considered as a deviance and an abnormality for centuries, though attitudes are changing. Not exchanging money with one's right hand and being frowned upon for unknowingly extending the left hand for a handshake are barriers to navigate.
Says Chacko Kurian "When people saw me writing with my left hand, they would invariably say "Try again with your right hand". They assumed that there was a problem with my right hand which is why I was writing like this. Left-handers are not very accepted among the Indian clergy too. Some people have asked why my parents and teachers didn't do anything to try and change this trait. I feel this attitude is more common among South Indians."
Sathya, mother to 9-year-old Daya T Abraham, says that teachers did try to convince them to change her daughter's leftie traits. "She preferred the left hand for every activity but we were okay with it. It has been proved that messing with this hampers children's development."
Did you know?
Research says lefties die younger and are prone to alcohol and depression. But research also says that they are artistic, have a higher IQ and better linguistic skills. They make especially good baseball players, tennis players, swimmers, boxers and fencers (almost 40% of the top tennis players are lefties).
Mark the date
August 13 is celebrated as International Left-Handers' Day.