Our member Ms M. Sen was brought up in Varanasi, a Hindi speaking community but being a Bengali, her mother insisted she learnt her mother tongue to remain bonded to her roots. Ms Sen shares her journey of learning and practicing two languages simultaneously.
First things first. I grew up in Varanasi, so in that sense, my upbringing took shape outside Bengal. When it was time for me to attend my first school, most schools in Varanasi followed a Hindi-medium curriculum and I was enrolled in one such school. That’s how I started learning Hindi. But Bengali being my native language, my mother had already made it a point to meticulously teach me how to read and write in Bengali. She had bought me interesting age-appropriate books in Bengali. In addition, she had subscribed to quality magazines such as 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘶-𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪 and 𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘬𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘢. We also subscribed to the daily published 𝘑𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳 and the then famous Hindi newspaper 𝘈𝘢𝘫. My siblings and I were glued to these reading materials since our childhood days. At school, I continued with my Hindi education. My parents also subscribed to the Hindi magazine 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢-𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘢, just so we could read more in Hindi. So, we eased into both Bengali and Hindi simultaneously.
Since my early childhood days, I always enjoyed writing poems. I took a chance and submitted poems to 𝘈𝘢𝘫’𝘴 children’s section, 𝘉𝘢𝘢𝘭-𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘥 and pretty soon they started publishing my poems in Hindi. Once my paternal grandmother got a wind of this, she insisted that I should also write poems in Bengali. My grandmother, Shantilata Dasgupta was herself a very talented poet. Eventually, I took up writing poems in Bengali at her insistence and submitted poems to 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘬 𝘉𝘰𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪; these poems were also published.
All my life I have practiced my craft, and after eight decades, I continue to write in Bengali and Hindi, verse as well as prose. Based on my personal experience what I can attest to is that children can acquire language skills very easily, and once they become grounded in one particular language, they can easily learn another language. Learning one language in no way hinders learning another language.

Though Diabetes is a common chronic disease that plagues the elderly, it can often be easily managed by controlling our diet and small lifestyle changes. Here’s a lowdown on how to keep diabetes under control and diabetic foot care.
Foot care is an essential aspect of managing diabetes, as poor blood circulation and nerve damage can lead to serious foot problems for people with diabetes.
Regular foot inspection is crucial to detect any change or problem early on. Proper foot hygiene can help stem the severity of this problem.
There are different stages of diabetic foot. There are different ways to check if one has diabetic foot.
Some basic symptoms are:

Stage 1: clean foot with calluses, corn, darkened skin, hardened skin or if the foot is dry

Stage 2: superficial ulcers

Stage 3: deeper ulcers

Stage 4: extensive skin damage

Stage 5: Necrosis and partial gangrene of the foot

Stage 6: complete gangrene

On reaching stage 6 surgical management is required so that the foot is taken care of through debridement (removal of the dead tissues) or definitive reconstruction.
Dr Rajan Tondon of Belle Vue stated, “When it comes to footwear, it is important to choose footwear that fit properly and provide adequate support and cushioning. Shoes that are too light can cause foot problems, while shoes that are too loose can increase the risk of falls and other injuries. People with diabetes should avoid walking barefoot, even inside their homes, as this increases the risk of cuts, blisters, ulcers and other foot injuries. Those with Diabetic foot ulcer should take medical advice that can help in getting appropriate footwear to reduce plantar (relating to the sole of the foot) pressure.”
Regarding the right kind of footwear, Dr Tondon adds, “Wear rubber sole footwear and use silicone gel heel pads in your footwear, which can help to avoid corns and cracks. Good walking shoes is a must for proper foot care.”
When asked about how to control diabetes, Dr. Tondon mentioned that it is possible through regular exercise, eating healthy, sleeping well, and most importantly staying happy.
He advised, “Have less sugary fruits and fried or fatty foods. Go for less pulpy and sweet fruits like banana, mango, chikkoo and custard apple. Regulate everything you eat by eating sensibly. Try exercising regularly for half an hour and be active.” “I know of people who have got off medication simply by managing their diet and lifestyle. Everything should be balanced – your thoughts, actions, lifestyle and behaviour. Taking balanced food is also part of our behaviour. I tell my patients to have everything but moderately.”
In conclusion, diabetic foot care is essential to avoid serious foot problems. By taking care of your feet, you can reduce the risk of complications and improve your overall health and well-being. Regular foot inspections, proper foot hygiene, and the selection of appropriate footwear are all key to good diabetic foot care.