By Maria G. Rodrigues
Have you met the new tree on Chandler Pond? Her name is “Jairam’s tree.” She’s pleased to meet you, so do stop by and say hi.
Jairam’s tree was a gift from Friends of Chandler Pond and the City of Boston’s Park and Recreation department. It honors my son, Jairam, who grew up at Chandler Pond, playing with the snails in the “mouth” of the pond by Kenrick street, chasing the geese off our lawns, protecting the turtles as they crossed the street back to the pond after laying their eggs, caring for baby birds that fell off trees during storms, and of course, clearing trash and debris.
Jairam loved the Pond. He loved Brighton. He was proud to be a Bostonian. But most of all, Jairam loved Nature. His commitment to protect our planet was born from his experiences at Chandler Pond.
On the last year of his life, he joined millions of high- schoolers around the world in the Fridays Youth for Climate strikes. He had never been as happy and energized as when he was lobbying local officials on behalf of the Green New Deal and many other environmentally sustainable policies.
In other words, Jairam was a typical idealist (and often pesky) teen-ager. And Jairam’s Tree is a typical tree. Together they remind us to stop and pay attention – to the Earth, to our neighbors, to the small and big treasures we have all around us, and to our common future.
