Social Reaction:
Left-handedness has been looked
at with a lot of curiosity, doubt, apprehension and as something dirty,
inauspicious, evil or sinister. At the same time the fields of Sports and
Arts are filled with innumerable Left-Handers who have excelled beyond
imagination and more and more Left-Handers are deliberately included in
sports teams. Only in cities and in some of the educated families, Left-handers are
either treated normally or with praise. This contradictory attitude of
the society is an intrinsic part of the life of most Left-Handers. e.g.
For religious purpose, left hand
is banned and there are many taboos against its use for Pooja (worship ritual), Prasad (Holy food), Aadaab, Salaam, Cross etc.
Many-a-times Left-handed daughters-in-law, (especially
in rural India) are either not accepted or considered as a bad omen and
are harassed in many ways. They are not allowed to use left hand for cooking,
serving etc. the hand is branded (burnt) or hit on to discourage its use.
Many-a-times a matrimonial alliance
could be rejected if the bride-to-be (or even at times the groom-to-be) is a Left-hander.
Children are discouraged and forcibly
obstructed from using left hand for writing, eating and many daily activities,
not only in rural and backward areas but in modern urban societies as well.
Their left hands are tied behind their backs or in a bag or are hit on
the knuckles or applied Chilly powder to or branded (burnt) to discourage its use.
Effects:
This has a long-lasting negative effect
on the psyche & the overall personality of the child, which can inhibit
a natural healthy growth and affect mental and physical efficiency.
It may lead to problems like-Speech
disorders (Stammering, Stuttering & sometimes Dyslexia),
Psychological deficiencies (lack
of confidence, negativism and clumsiness, feeling of defeat &
being alienated, dirty or inauspicious).
This may even lead to certain medical
problems like allergies, fits, bed-wetting, irritations & reactions
to foods and medicines, and Auto Immune Disorders.
It also hinders the natural development
of psychomotor & manual skills like co-ordinated use of fingers
for many daily activities (Writing, cooking, drawing, painting, sewing,
knitting and the like).
More Hazards:
On top of it all, every left-hander
has to live in a world designed exclusively for right-handers, they
being in majority. In industrial environment, all the machinery, tools and equipment
is designed for right-handed use. This creates unimaginable hazards for
a left-handed worker. It affects his/her efficiency, quantity and quality
of output and most important-- he/she may meet with minor or major accidents.
These things go unnoticed, as this point is never thought of by the management and the worker themselves too.