Punekars embrace imperfections with the Japanese art of Kintsugi

Pune Times Life.Styled Club brought the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi to the city through a workshop that invited participants to break ceramic planters and slowly piece them back together using golden lining. For many participants, the process felt unexpectedly personal.

As the session progressed, that thought spread across the room. No two planters looked alike by the end, but the uneven edges and goldlined cracks made them look more striking than before.

BETWEEN CHAOS AND CALM

The emotional contrast built into the activity stood out. For content creator Divya Sawant, the balance between destruction and rebuilding became the most memorable part of the workshop. “Chaos and calm coexisting felt a lot like life itself,” she said, describing the process as cathartic.While some said returning to art after a while made the workshop feel grounding; others said understanding the philosophy and history behind Kintsugi made the experience feel far more immersive.

EMBRACING IMPERFECTIONS

The emotional connection participants formed with the workshop was something host Moupiya Dey observed. Explaining the philosophy behind Kintsugi, Dey said,

That idea resonated with engineering student Yatee Dhamija, who spoke about how people try to conceal imperfections instead of embracing them. “Life feels much less burdensome when you stop trying to hide every flaw,” she said.By the end of the session, tables once covered in scattered ceramic fragments were filled with restored planters carrying visible golden cracks that had now become part of the design itself; a quiet reminder that imperfections do not always need to be hidden.

Event partner : Small World

Location partner : The High Spirits Cafe

What is Kintsugi?

Kintsugi is a centuries-old Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by embracing cracks instead of concealing them. Traditionally, damaged objects are restored using traditional Japanese lacquer mixed with gold. The philosophy is rooted in the idea that breakage does not reduce beauty or value, but becomes part of an object.