With just 10% of the world's population being left-handed persons, they tend to be received with mixed reactions in society.
In the wake of the International Left-Handers Day celebration, GhanaWeb's Upper East Regional correspondent, Sarah Dubure, hit the streets of Bolgatanga to solicit the experiences of some left-handed person whiles growing up, and presently.
Madam Ruth Amoah, recalled that life was unbearable for her, growing up as a leftie. She explained that her mother tried as much as she could, to change her from being left-handed to being right-handed, by making her constantly practice with the right hand.
She added that failure to cooperate and adopt attracted some serious unforgettable beatings.
"When I was at the Primary School, my mother tried hard to change me from being left-handed to being right-handed. She would put a pen in my right hand and instruct me to write. Anytime l tried to change to the left hand, she would beat me very well". She recounted.
She further added that she eventually became accustomed to writing with the right hand due to the persistent practice. She now comfortably writes with both hands.
Grace Asaah, on the other hand, observed that life was good, growing up as a left-handed person. She recalled that throughout her school days, she always enjoyed preferential treatment from her teachers at school, as they saw being left-handed as a special trait.
She also indicated that having nice handwriting was just the icing on the cake.
"When I was in school, most of my teachers liked me because I was a leftie. They saw it as special. Anytime most of them came to teach, they would always be calling me to answer questions and trying to joke with me in the class. Also, when they saw that I had good handwriting, they liked me more, and always talked about it". She pointed.
Ruby, was born left-handed, but now right-handed. Recounting the incident that led to the drift, she said that she grew up with her aunt who never welcomed the reality of her lefthandedness.
She said that the aunt one day called her and handed a hot boiled egg to her in the left hand, and pressed it hard. This, she said, made her sustain some burns in her hand which rendered it inactive for some time.
She then started using the right hand, and by the time the left hand healed, she could not use it again, as she became used to using the right hand already.
"When I was a small girl, I stayed with my auntie. She was always complaining about me using my left hand and told me to stop using it. She one day called and asked me to come for an egg.
When I stretched my hand, she gave me a hot egg and pressed it in my hand. The egg burnt my hand so I was then using my right hand. By the time my left hand healed, l had used my right hand for long so I wasn't able to use the left again.
Another lefthanded person, Patrick Aniah, observed that he had always been a person with a good sense of humor, and believed that it was due to the fact that he was left-handed.
He added that for this reason, people were always yearning to be around him because they knew that they would surely laugh out their sorrows. He added with excitement, that it was a blessing to be left-handed.
10% of the world's population are left-handed persons