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Campus Feature

A Day for Leftists !

Khairul Asif

Today, when the 'Star Campus' hits the stands with its second issue, an interesting phenomenon coincides with it. Personalities like Charlie Chaplin, Merlyn Monroe, Leonardo da Vinci, Jimmy Hendricks, Martina Navratilova, Nicole Kidman et al are all involved with this phenomenon.
Still rolling your eyeballs? Well, today, the 13^th, is the

World Lefthander's Day !
Celebrated with pomp and grandeur in England, Ireland, Scotland, USA and Japan by the Lefthander's Clubs of the respective countries, this day has not yet grown popular even among the lefthanders themselves. But that does not stop the existing members from celebrating it. What have they been highlighting in this regard? Two issues basically. Firstly, manufacturers of office equipment like computer mouse, key-board, desk etc. should respect lefthanders' cause and take necessary actions. Secondly, starting from family to pubs, lefthanders must be given proper treatment like their 'rightist' counterparts.

The lefthander's Clubs have opened their websites with diversified demands, as well as fun games and quizzes. However, seriously they have maintained their spirit of observing this day for the last 11 years with five clear objectives. These are:

(1) To create global awareness about the lefthanders' themselves about their needs, and subsequently meet the challenges from right-handers,
(2) To explain designers, engineers, manufacturers et al that they must take special actions to ensure the interests and safety of the lefthanders,
(3) To celebrate the strength and positive sides of the lefthandersand at the same time to highlight the achievements of renowned lefthanders,
(4) To carry on with the pro-lefthander's movement that would ease their daily lifestyle regardless of age, profession and gender, and
(5) To encourage research works on lefthanders, and publish numerous survey results on them.

Interesting enough, don't you feel?
But a question remains: why don' the right-handers have their clubs or activities? Simple answer. They are the majority. They enjoy greater status as right-handers. And this history is interesting as well.

During the Stone Age, men were equally divided by left-right groups. Rather the designs and sketches of the caves reveal that lefthanders exercised greater dominance. This dominance started to fade after the initiation of Sun-worship. How?

If one needs to follow the sun, one needs to face the right. And until the sun sets in the west, it keeps veering from left to right. This bending of the sun from left to right eventually increased the significance of the 'right' over 'left'.

Another theory suggests that since our heart is at the left portion of our body, ancient people held shields with their left hands to protect their hearts. Right hands in such case used to carry arms for fighting. In this way, right hands gradually became the hand of dominance. Come what may, there is little denying that lefthanders in today's world are seen as bit extraordinary people. We talk about left-handed batsmen's elegant stroke play, left-handed bowlers' outstanding out swingers. It's because, lefthanders in today's world are a rarity, and hence we are not used to watch them regularly.

The Lefthander's Clubs have been doing pretty convincing jobs in favor of lefthanders, so to say. What stops us from observing this day here as well? I leave it upon the sweet intention of our left-handed readers.....