Mylapore Karpagambal Nagar – It’s complicated: one wants to gently grasp this middle-aged Tabebuia tree growing in Mylapore’s Karpagambal Nagar by its trunk and give it an appreciative squeeze; Or a bear hug that would ease the sadness if it (that sentence did not go unnoticed). Both acts of kindness are made difficult by the misfortunes that warrant this dramatic, physical display of kindness. A tree guard who has outstayed his welcome and the tree’s growth trajectory prevents displays of these forms of affection.

The tree appears to be moving turbulently in the wind. One question before moving on to the second problem. How comfortable would you be if you had outgrown the school uniform, the convocation cap earned by a college education, but not the baby’s diapers? That old piece of innerwear under your smooth chino pants, meant only for emergencies, continues as if time has stopped.

And time seems to have stopped for this tree: it still wears what it had to wear in its childhood: tree guard.