iWorld
Bloomberg|Quint partners with Penguin Random House India to delve into India’s unique business history
MUMBAI: India’s premier business and financial news brand Bloomberg|Quint in partnership with Penguin Random House India is taking its coverage of India’s business ecosystem back to the beginning with an exclusive six-part show titled ‘Tales of Trade’, edited by management guru Gurcharan Das. Based on a book series by leading academicians and scholars, ‘Tales of Trade’ will have the authors delve into some of the most fascinating stories in the history of Indian business with an episode every week, starting February 24 with Bibek Debroy. Through the series, Bloomberg|Quint will introduce its audience to the startling and delightful ways in which these historical events are relevant to modern-day institutions and has an impact on the practice of doing business in the country today.
The ‘Indian way of doing business’ – with all its infinite cultural, regional, and linguistic variations – is the product of a rich legacy full of adventure, risk, and romance, tempered by Indian principles and values. The series’ 6 episodes will use provide an immersive, in-depth snapshot of India’s business history with an engaging narrative. The episodes will cover the Indian Railways, the East India Company, Managing Agencies, Mumbai’s 19th century merchants, the Marwari community, and the interplay of dharma and business in medieval India. Gurcharan Das will be joined by Bibek Debroy, Tirthankar Roy, Omkar Goswami, Lakshmi Subramanian, Thomas Timberg, and Donald Davis in his explorations of the rich and complex tapestry of India’s economic history.
Commenting on the show, Gurcharan Das said, “Tales of Trade is a six-part documentary series based on Penguin’s ‘Story of Indian Business’ conceived, edited and curated at my end. It is an exciting tale of adventures in the bazaar and the romance on the high seas beginning from ancient times of trade with the Roman world to today’s most successful business communities. The series takes you on exciting journey through conversations with scholars who reveal forgotten fables and rediscovered texts. With a 5000 mile coastline, the tales cover ancient Tamils who carried Indian culture to greater Asia; the caravans of 20,000 camels on the Silk Route who crossed the Hindu Kush mountains to trade with Central Asia and Russia; of risk taking Marwaris who spread across India in the 19th century with the coming of the railways; of the trail blazing merchants who shaped modern Mumbai; of Gujarati merchants from Kachch who traded along the golden triangle of Mandavi, Muscat, and Zanzibar; and of course, the story of the world’s first and most powerful corporation the East India Company.”
Talking about the partnership, Preeti Chaturvedi, AVP- Marketing and Publicity, Penguin Random House India, said “We are constantly looking for ways to make our books more discoverable and accessible to a wider readership. Tales of Trade is a series we are really proud of and we are confident that the partnership with BloombergQuint will help a relevant audience engage with the stories in an exciting format.”
Bloomberg|Quint reaches more than 2 million monthly users across its on-site and partner platforms. More than 50% of Bloomberg|Quint’s audience comprises of C-level executives and entrepreneurs. During Budget 2017, Bloomberg|Quint delivered over 50 million in reach, including 15 million video views and more than 25k shares on social media, ahead of several legacy players in the space. (Source: Google Analytics, Partner & Social Analytics). It was also recently rated as the most viewed business news brand on Facebook amongst new-age publishers. (Source: Vidooly, Facebook Video Report) and has been voted ‘Business Website Of The Year’ (Digipub Awards 2017)
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
