Remember the times when you were given to draw the Earth and it was ¾ water and ¼ land. Does it not ring a bell regarding how much of the planet is covered in seas, oceans and the hidden secrets in its depths? With the United Nations declaring it as the decade of understanding the seas, Kolkata’s Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM), a unit of National Council of Science Museums, Ministry of Culture, Government of India is all set to unravel facts through its latest expansion to the Lost at Sea Gallery. Complete with the understanding of water organisms going and gone extinct to what threatens life now and the bioluminescent wonders, Indulge gives you a first glimpse of the gallery which will open for the public on November 14, 2025.
As Arnab Chatterjee, director, BITM Kolkata mentions, “In the second phase we have tried portraying the animals that are already lost, and how the entire ecology is evolving to cope up with human greed.” The first thing that hits anyone upon entering the gallery is a 25 feet suspended by the ceiling, baby blue whale, which merges into information about Megafauna. The interesting part here is in understanding that the need of the hour is to preserve the megafauna which are on the verge of extinction. In fact, so is the blue whale with an approximation of 10,000 to 25,000 ones remaining across the planet.
A beautiful wall display focuses on the 10+ world recognised species which have been extinct. From Great Auk to New Zealand Grayling, The Labrador Duck and the Java Stingaree, the latest species to go extinct, one has them all. But with certain species having gone extinct even before they could be immortalized through a lens, how did the team re-construct the look? Chatterjee states, “Whatever we portray has to be scientifically correct. It was definitely a challenge to take valid documentation from prior sources. In order to recreate the look and scenario, we referred to a number of documents. But those documents too had to be present and validated. For some lost species we didn’t get any valid documentation or a preliminary picture also to recreate or re-imagine them.”
Apart from fauna, flora also needs to be given the due credit for their positioning in the ecosystem and thus corals and seaweeds form important parts of the display. While it is not outwardly understood, felt or even projected, but the impact of climate change on corals and seaweed are tremendous and need immediate focus. In an age where coral conservation is being spoken about, we asked the implications of a world without seaweeds. Chatterjee elucidates, “The seaweed is a complete ecosystem. I believe a lot of water organisms feed on seaweeds. If you remove seaweeds from the floor, it will lead to serious ecological imbalance. Even now seaweeds are being used as food. Seaweeds also act as a carbon sponge and absorb it. That is why a mention of the seaweeds is necessary.”
Another highlight of the space is its focus on bioluminescence. The phenomenon isn’t new. One might know of it as glowing sea beaches. But the concept extends way more than that. At the finer depths of the sea where sunlight is minimal, if a diver stands viewing the source of light, they would find several deep sea organisms adapted to the absence of light so well that their bodies produce their own light. And these lights aren’t just vague. They have their own patterns and vocabulary. This information actually lets us stop and think about the phenomenon deeply.
Furthermore, what makes the gallery inviting is its presentation. From models to visual fact presentation, the gallery enhances burning questions while making it entertaining and interactive for the visitors. Before signing off, Chatterjee mentions, “When we develop a gallery or an exhibition, broadly there are two parts to it - content is the king and how you portray it. Until the visitors aren’t getting attracted to the display they will not bother to read what’s written. So, the technology and the content are intertwined.” Overall, the Lost at Sea gallery expansion is a wonderful addition to the existing information. The choice of topics included are not just well researched but ones that need to be talked about.
The gallery will be inaugurated on November 14 and remains open between 9:30 am – 6 pm daily except Holi and Diwali.
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