Is it right to shake hands with left hand? We were taught that it’s bad manners. Read further….
It was summer and i was passing across the busy lanes of fancy bazaar. I was thirsty and then i saw the juice cart and asked for a glass of ‘mousumi’ juice. While i was sipping the awful..salty..juice, someone put a hand in my shoulder. I turned back and I saw a man who was in awful attire. His right hand and right leg was plastered (probably he met an accident), his eyes were swollen, clothes were dirty and he was smelling like old monk rum.
I asked him” ki lage dada (What you need brother)”. He replied “Can you buy me some food, I am very Hungry?”
I asked what he would like to have (i had only 20 bucks in my pocket). He pointed me to a corner shop where one guy was selling bread-chop. I bought him two for 10 bucks.
I watched him till he finished his food. Out of curiosity I asked, what happened to him. He told me that he left his home and he is living at the streets for last one week. Yesterday he met an accident and someone helped him with the bandage and plasters.
I decided to come back and said bye to him.
After that whatever happened I still remember.
He called me and spoke to me in English. “Hey brother, thank you for the bread. God bless you”. I was stunned, ofcourse I never imagined him to communicate with me in English specially after seeing his outside attire.
I gave him a smile. He then came forward and offered a handshake with left hand (remember his right hand was plastered). I did the same. Then he asked” Do you know why I am shaking hand with left hand?” I replied “because your right hand is injured”
He told me “No you are wrong. I am doing it with left hand because we have our heart in left side. I am thanking your heart from my heart for giving me food, when i was hungry. That is why I shook hand with you with my left hand.”
“Remember that and go home safely”.
After that he left. I stood there for couple of minutes stunned, surprised and heart touched. In return of the food he taught me the power of our thinking and how we can keep our head high even if we don’t have money in our wallet, how we can win hearts and how we can spread smiles.
From that day, Left handed handshakes make sense to me.
So is it right to shake hands with left hand?
Yes. You are right.
Originally posted on my blog.