Kiran Ramanathan dedicated bench - Newton Centre Playground - Newton Centre, Massachusetts - Dedicated Benches on Waymarking.com

A park bench on the Newton Center Playground city park property is dedicated to Kiran Briggs Ramanathan. It faces the southeast corner of the playground.

From Kiran's Place, a memorial website set up by his parents:

We set up this site in memory of our wonderful son Kiran, who died on January 14, 2009. Kiran was a happy three and a half year old, enrolled in the early childhood preschool program in the Newton, Massachusetts school system at the time of his death. He caught the flu on a Friday night and died a few days later following an opportunistic infection that led to bacterial pneumonia and sepsis.

Kiran is a Sanskrit name that means "ray of light" and his life truly embodied that idea. He was a happy, funny and silly boy who was full of love and wonder at his world. Kiran lived with a number of complex medical challenges - the most significant of which was a floppy airway that required him to breathe through a tracheostomy. He personified perseverance - once he decided he was going to do something, he would work at it with a will. He had a wicked sense of humor and found a way to make people laugh and look past his medical issues.

- Tricia and Sekhar

The sturdy bench is made from heavy-duty, gray-colored composite beams about 3 inches square and 8 feet long; three each for the seat and backrest. A trio of metal legs support the bench components. A cast bronze plaque is embedded in the center of the middle backrest plank. It reads:

In memory of Kiran Ramanathan (2005 - 2009)
Kiran loved coming to this park to play and swing.
An avid people watcher, Kiran tried to make friends with
everyone he met here. This was his happy place.

See also:

The Kiran Briggs Ramanathan Memorial Fund

The Compassionate Friends