AMBIDEXTROUS PERSONS - ANUNIQUE ABILITY IN THEM: A PERSPECTIVE

Dr. BHASKAR CHAKRABORTY

We have always been taught to use our right hand for our daily activities including writing. We are also familiar with people who write with their left hand and they are pretty good at it! Interestingly, the non-dominant hand gives a fantastic result of their handwriting and obviously their number is less.  However, there are some in this world who can write in both hands. They can equally use both their hands while performing different tasks including writing. They can flawlessly and simultaneously write with both hands. These people are known as “Ambidextrous”. In India, the most prominent school known for having ambidextrous students is “Veena Vadini Public School” located in Budhela village, Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh. This school actively teaches all its students to write with both hands, resulting in a large number of ambidextrous graduates.

The school's unique feature is its dedicated curriculum to train students to write with both hands.

The school founder was inspired by India's first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, who was also ambidextrous. Students at Veena Vadini are also taught multiple languages like Hindi, Sanskrit, English, Urdu, and Spanish. Over 150 students studying in Veena Vadini Public School in Madhya Pradesh have mastered the ability to write with both hands. It is India's one and only 'ambidextrous' school. The school is situated in Budhela village in Singrauli.

We are proud to say, India is the only country who teaches the students to write with their both hands and a specialized school is dedicated for these students. The World Record of “Maximum Students Trained as Ambidextrous" is achieved by Veena Vadini Public School from Singrauli (Madhya Pradesh) India on 5th November 2019.The Institution trained 300 students as ambidextrous so far. They can write with both hands at same times in different languages. According to Head of institute Mr. VP Sharma, the purpose of the training is to save the time. These students are able to finish their examination utilizing half of the allotted time as they may write the answers of two qustions simultaneously or one lengthy answer in adjacent pages with equal efficiency. 

About 1% of the world's population is ambidextrous, which means they have no dominant hand and can use both hands equally well. About 90% of people are right-handed, and about 10% are left-handed. Ambidextrous people have symmetrical brains, while most right-handed people and some left-handed people have asymmetrical brains. Due to symmetric brain activity ambidextrous people score slightly lower on IQ tests than those with a dominant hand. They have lower ability in reasoning, math, and memory. But it's also true that ambidextrous people tend to do better in sports, arts, and music.Surprisingly, even though this skill is so connected to the brain, ambidextrous people tend to be more in tune with their physical abilities than their mental ones. It may be for this reason that they tend to perform more poorly on general intelligence tests than people who favor one hand.

Ambidexterity indicates that the left and right sides of that person’s brain are pretty much symmetrical (which is true for lefties also). On the other hand, right-handed people tend to be left-brain dominant.

In a very recent study (January 2025), it has been observed that seven and eight-year-old children completed several different academic tests. 87 out of the 8000 participants were comfortable using both hands. The ambidextrous students are 90 percent more likely than the right-handed ones to struggle with math problems and are also more likely to have difficulties with language.Researchers in 2021 found in their study seven (7) gene variants associated with ambidexterity and the most common gene variant associated with ambidexterity is the gene VRK2.However, more research is needed and is going on in various European and American universities to understand these variants. According to a Montclair State University, New Jersey, USA study, ambidextrous people are more likely to experience a change in their emotions based on their surroundings. In a study, researchers at the university tried to trigger certain emotions in the participants. Right-handed people tended to be more resistant to the rapid emotional change than the left and multi-handed participants.Also they found in the study, ambidextrous people are more likely to experience a change in their emotions based on their surroundings. 

Famous examples of ambidextrous personalities of the world include Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Nikola Tesla, James A. Garfield, and Leonardo da Vinci. Sushant Singh Rajput was an actor who could write with both hands simultaneously.Chirasvi Balasubramanian, a 6-year-old girl from Mysuru, Karnataka, is the youngest ambidextrous person in India.There are other people, however, who don’t have equal skill with both hands but who use their right hands for some things and their left hands for others. Another term “Ambisinistral,” refers to these people who have no dominant hand, and use both hands but neither hand is very strong.

Courtesy: PubMed & Science Direct Journals (2021-2024) &Shri Malay Goswami, Medical Business Associates, Kolkata. 

(The writer is a Professor of Chemistry, Sikkim Government College (NBBGC), an Extension Centre of Sikkim University for PG Studies in Chemistry, Tadong, Gangtok, Sikkim. Views are personal. Email: bhaskargtk@yahoo.com)