CHENNAI: Even though most Simpsons' episode opens with Bart writing something on a blackboard, which fans fondly refer to as the blackboard gag, not many may have noticed that he is a left-hander. And this may also be the reason why he is so efficiently a polyglot, since left-handers have been known for their multifaceted talents.We notice this trend in left-handers in real life such as Barack Obama, Pablo Picasso, Paul McCartney, Jim Carrey, Saurav Ganguly and even the father and son duo, Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan. But today, on World Left-Handers Day, let’s celebrate by understanding some of our own left-handers a little better and observing the subtle differences in their lives that a right-handed majority often take for granted.As kids, all of us were taught that the right hand is the hand with which we write. That’s the way we’ve always remembered to know left from right, but this must definitely be confusing for left-handed kids. Apart from this, they also go through a bunch of other trivial problems in their daily lives such as using writing desks at school, handling the computer mouse, musical instruments, sports equipment, and so on. “I initially used to play upside down with a right-handed guitar when I was in school,” says bassist Ritwik, who used to play with No Safe Word. “It was also very confusing because the notes always got mixed up and to make matters worse, the guitar strap kept strangling me.”Research has shown that left-handers are better at sports and creative arts, so when Ritwik finally got hold of a guitar for left-handers, his stage talent developed by leaps and bounds.But for Sai Barath, a law student who is passionate about cricket, it is a different story. “It is always difficult for me to score runs on the off-side,” he complains. Left-handers are also always associated with Satan for unknown reasons in the West and there are definitely our own versions of such notions.Tambrahm and left-hander Akshaya Iyer was never allowed to serve food at the dining table because she was considered impure. On the same note, Harish Murali says, “I am used to eating with my left hand at home but when I do the same outside, people look at me like I’m weird.”Parents and teachers have tried training their kids to use their right hand more, for various obvious reasons. “I can’t say that my parents forced me, but every time I ate with my left hand, they reminded me to use my right. It did take me one-and-a-half years to get used to being ambidextrous,” says Mehul Khonda.Left-handers day has a history behind it. It was first celebrated on August 13, 1992 by a Left-Handers Club, to increase public awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being a left-hander, and has been celebrated in many countries world-over ever since. So go ahead and plan your evening to celebrate World Left-Handers day, do all your chores for the day with only your left hand, make the day easier for a southpaw or have a left-hand only shots party!
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