Writing left-handed
Aishwarya has written about being a left-handed person and the consternation that caused amongst her relatives in India:
Being an inquisitive sort of child I demanded an explanation from my parents. The reason I was given was that (quoting from wikipedia) “…in some societies including India, it is customary to use the left hand for cleaning oneself with water after defecating. The right hand is commonly known in contradistinction from the left, as the hand used for eating.”. This made sense to me.
It followed, I concluded, that lefthanded people like myself would in fact clean ourselves with our right hands, and eat with our left. At the next family function an elderly relative attempted to swat my left hand away from my leaf plate and force me to eat with my right hand. I said indignantly, disgustedly and (this is the important bit) loudly “but I wipe my bum with that hand!”
Pandemonium occurred.
Really glad she caused that pandemonium and retained her left-handedness. A was left-handed too. But his teacher at Mother’s International school in Delhi beat him until he wrote with his right hand. Fortunately he left that school, but writes with his right hand to this day. If I ever find out who that teacher is, I will take out a contract on her life.
Wtf? When was this? I was at MIS for about eight years and fortunately never encountered this teacher (though a few other teachers also saw fit to interfere in things that were really none of their business).
Does A not remember the teacher’s name?
My uncle also started out left-handed and was made to use his right hand. I’m not sure why my grandparents didn’t make more of a fuss about me doing it.