iWorld
Goa dives deep with immersive seaweed forest installation at Museum of Goa
MUMBAI: Goa is making waves without leaving dry land. From 24 to 30 January, the Museum of Goa will host Step into the Sea, a multi-disciplinary immersive installation that brings Goa’s little-known seaweed forests out of the water and into public view.
The installation offers audiences a rare chance to encounter one of the world’s oldest marine ecosystems. India is home to more than 800 known seaweed species, many forming dense underwater forests along its coast. In Goa, Sargassum seaweed forests bloom seasonally between November and March, quietly sustaining marine biodiversity while remaining largely invisible to everyday life.
Step into the Sea aims to change that. Conceptualised by The Good Ocean and Jolchhobi Collective, the project marks the first visual documentation of India’s seaweed forests. Using underwater cinematography, spatial soundscapes, projection mapping, live performance and narrative design, the installation recreates the sensation of swimming through a living seaweed forest off the Goan coast.
“Seaweed forests are among our oldest living ecosystems, yet they rarely enter public conversation,” says marine conservationist and The Good Ocean founder Gabriella D’Cruz. “This installation invites people to experience them not as abstract science, but as living systems that support our coastline and our wellbeing.”
The underwater visuals are led by filmmaker and cinematographer Nefertiti Titli of Jolchhobi Collective, with sound design by Pruthu Parab (Echologue) and immersive technology by creative technologist Priyanka Yadav (Poyo). Together, the team blends ecology with sensory storytelling, encouraging audiences to slow down and reconnect with the ocean as a living presence.
The installation opens on Friday, 24 January, with a ticketed live solo performance by Sushmit Sen, former lead guitarist of Indian Ocean. This marks the first public unveiling of the work, with tickets available on District.
From 25 to 30 January, Step into the Sea will be open to the public free of charge. The week will also feature free sessions including The Story of Seaweed, a series of storytelling events offering insight into the research, ecology and creative thinking behind the project.
By placing the ocean inside a museum, Step into the Sea bridges contemporary art, environmental research and public engagement making marine stories accessible well beyond academic or specialist spaces.
Step into the Sea runs at the Museum of Goa from 25 to 30 January 2026, 10 am to 6 pm. Entry is free.
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.
