SINGLE-HANDEDLY (18-Sept-2021)

My recent medical procedure provided a whole new perspective and a different meaning to the word ‘single-handedly.’  A typical dictionary meaning suggests it’s something done without help from anyone else or unassisted by others.  For me it meant that I could not use my natural right hand for a period of up to twelve weeks.  More of this later!

The trigger to write this article came from another angle – 13^th August is International Lefthanders Day.  In the Indian context, up until the 1980s all children with a natural tendency to use their left-hand were punished and ostracized for it was considered a bad omen and a taboo.  What?!

Hockey is our national game.  Despite recent achievements by the hockey team – both men’s and women’s at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics, India is a diehard cricketing nation.  A singular event that changed the face of cricket for our country was the 1983 World Cup.  Kapil Dev marshalled his team with motivation and self-confidence and led from-the-front to beat the destructive and formidable West Indian team in the finals.  Not before he single-handedly, rose like a phoenix from the ashes in an earlier group game against Zimbabwe and bailed our team from a precarious situation when he smashed 175 not out that won the game for India. 

Kapil etched his name in the record books and authored an epic – a milestone-defining moment for Indian cricket.  A single-handedly orchestrated mountainous effort by a self-belief captain who led India, a clear underdog at the start of the tournament.

During this same period of 38 years, the perception of a left-hander has been righted with wider education, greater sensitivity, and larger acceptance; more left-handers have made it big into mainstream.  There is sufficient encouragement for left-handed persons to take up sports, as they are seen to be classier with their left-handed elegance.  Even better if the individual is ambidextrous, for they can conveniently tread the middle path!

Back to my situation.  A Rotator Cuff tear in my right shoulder was the perfect premise for an arthroscopic surgery.  All warned that post-surgery my right hand will be supported by a sling to act as an immobilizer. 

You experience only when you have to endure!  The next morning after surgery, brushing the teeth needed orientation of my brain cells to manage the chore with my left hand.  Later whether I carried a whiff of fresh breath only my partner could endorse, but I was devastatingly unwired when I had to brush my hair in front of the mirror.  The left-handed chores rendered my brain cells baffled, also each activity appeared to lapse time into eternity.  A definite disadvantage for a natural right-hander!

It dawned on me the manner in which physically-challenged people manage their daily chores, and almost always with aplomb.  A salute to the kith-and-kin too who have endured the shortcomings of their loved ones and still sport a hearty smile.  Words like compassion, empathy, gratitude, and sensitivity made a stellar impact on my psyche as I started to manage more tasks single-handedly, some with help and some without.

A necessity to boost my spirits, I decided to manage all my official email communication as well as my personal WhatsApp messages to stay connected in a digital world, single-handedly using only my left-hand.  The culmination of this mindset resulted in this article that I typed entirely with my left-hand – single-handedly, literally!