Crossing the Pitfall by K. S. Radhakrishnan

In the show and series of novels, Game of Thrones, there is a cruel and unstable ruler called Lysa Arryn, who serves as the regent of a kingdom high up in the mountains. Lysa’s preferred method of executing her enemies is via the ‘moon door’, an opening in the floor that sends her victim tumbling into the abyss below. Again and again, we see hapless men begging for another chance, but to no avail—the moon door becomes a symbol of zero-sum paranoia, in the face of which men betrayed each other every day.

K. S. Radhakrishnan’s 2022 sculpture Crossing the Pitfall is the exact opposite of the moon door. Here, we see a large group of people attempting to cross the hollowed-out top of a monolithic structure. You can see people of different sizes and shapes, each trying their own strategies and, more importantly, each attempting to help someone else.

In a recent interview Radhakrishnan told me that he created this sculpture as a symbol of what we can achieve as a society when we work in tandem. “Even in nature, you see the rivers and the trees and the birds, animals etc., all have a way of working together, of maintaining ecological balance necessary for the survival of all,” he told me.

Hopefully, the veteran sculptor’s vision and his message strike a chord with those who see it. Because God knows, Indian society could do with a lot more collaboration and less of the nihilistic antagonism that has unfortunately seeped in.

Crossing the Pitfall is On display at Chawla Art Gallery, new Delhi till 31 April.