7 months ago
Retired Engineer Preserves Ancient Japanese Urushi Art
Vivek Kulkarni is a 58-year-old retired engineer from Pune, India.
After retiring, he wanted to stay busy and decided to make fountain pens.
He learned about Urushi, an ancient Japanese lacquering technique, and decided to combine it with his pen-making.
There were no teachers or books in English, so he had to learn everything by himself through trial and error.
After six years, he became very good at it and started his own business called Urushi Studio India.
His pens are unique and high-quality, and people from all over the world buy them.
He also wants to teach others this art to keep it alive.
Vivek Kulkarni, a retired engineer, learned the ancient Japanese art of Urushi lacquering to make unique fountain pens.
He taught himself the craft over six years through trial and error, with no formal training or English resources.
His business, Urushi Studio India, gained international recognition and commercial success.
Kulkarni's pens are 25-30% cheaper than Japanese competitors while maintaining superior quality.
He aims to establish an institute in India to teach Urushi artwork and preserve the dying art form.
- Who
- Vivek Kulkarni, a retired production engineer and IT professional
- What
- Mastered the ancient Japanese art of Urushi lacquering and started making fountain pens
- Where
- Pune, India
- When
- Began learning in 2014-15, achieved mastery by 2021
- Why
- To stay productive post-retirement and preserve the dying art of Urushi
Key facts
- Name
- Vivek Kulkarni
- Age
- 58
- Location
- Pune, India
- Art Form
- Urushi lacquering
- Business Name
- Urushi Studio India
- Years of Learning
- 6
- Pens Created
- 400-500
- Patented Ink
- Niji
Quotes
Vivek Kulkarni
Retired production engineer and IT professional, founder of Urushi Studio India
“To stay productive has always been my main goal.”
indianexpress.com
“While searching for what I could do, I remembered that I had used fountain pens since childhood. I thought I’d start making fountain pens to stay busy after retirement.”
indianexpress.com