This Indian school makes its students write with both hands

Students in Veena Vandini school in Madhya Pradesh have some special skills. These 300 pupils belong to 1% of the world’s population which is ambidextrous, all thanks to their headteacher.

The school’s founder and retired army soldier VP Sharma said he makes his students write with two hands mainly because he was inspired by India’s first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad. His fascination with the country’s leader led him to stumble on an interesting fact: Prasad could write with two hands. He later started his school and ensured that every lesson would dedicate 15 minutes to handwriting or rather, hands writing.

The students at Veena Vandini write the same word in two different languages and this has made them extremely comfortable with more than one language. But they haven’t just become masters at languages, their concentration power has also increased. According to researchers, this is one of the many benefits of being ambidextrous.

However, it takes time and practise to be ambidextrous. Sharma said that it’s only students in Class VII and VIII who are extremely skilled at writing with both their hands with speed and accuracy.

Apart from this, there are many other benefits to being ambidextrous. Those who can use both their hands also use both sides of their brain and tend to be creative.  Being able to use both hands can come handy especially while playing a sport.

The school’s founder told The Daily Mail that his school has piqued the interest of many researchers. He added that a delegation of South Korean scientists visited the school to study this practise further.

• ambidextrous
• schools in india