Ambidextrous school – Madhya Pradesh India
Inspired by India’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad, a unique school was founded in a remote village that teaches its students to be ambidextrous or the ability to use both hands equally well. Founded in 1999, Veena Vadini School has taught 480 students so far to write using both hands just as the former President could.
Students are pushed to write with both hands from grade 1 and can do so effortlessly by grade 3.
What’s surprising is that students are given instructions that are so apt, they have gone well beyond what is typical of ambidexterity. Not only can they write with both hands, they can write simultaneously with both hands. They are said to be able to complete a 3-hour exam in one hour making it incredibly efficient. They can also write in two different languages at the same time and can write in up to six different languages. For example, with one hand they can write in Hindi and the other in English or it could be Urdu with one hand and Sanskrit with the other.
Founder and Principal VP Sharma, a former military officer, recalls while travelling in a bus read about the former President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad’s ambidexterity. Inspired to try it himself, he succeeded and decided to open a school to educate students.
The educators at the school have implemented training methods that enable students to engage both hemispheres simultaneously, allowing them to write with both hands. Researchers from countries such as South Korea, Germany, and the United States have travelled to Madhya Pradesh to study the students and gain a deeper understanding of this acquired ambidexterity.
Writing in different languages is not the only skill they learn however. They are given classes in yoga, sports, agriculture and general academic classes such as science and geography.
It is estimated that 1% of the world’s population is ambidextrous. This school’s feats certainly show us that believing statistics is not always reflective of our potential and we can definitely go beyond our perceived limits.