Poulomi Bose
Founder’s Note
As the year draws to a close, it feels like the right moment to pause, look back, and exhale—just for a second. This year has been a whirlwind in the truest sense. We packed our bags for two big outstation events, watched ideas turn into experiences far beyond what we imagined, and saw our workshops and merchandise reach numbers that once lived only on hopeful spreadsheets and late-night conversations.
One of the proudest moments of the year was the launch of our sister brand, Lore—a labour of love that carries stories, symbolism, and soul into tangible form. Watching it find its people has been deeply affirming. Along the way, our team grew too. We welcomed new members who brought fresh energy, perspectives, and skills, and we also said goodbye to a few familiar faces who helped shape us in earlier chapters. Growth, as it turns out, is rarely quiet—but it is always honest.
Looking ahead to the coming year, there is a gentle buzz of excitement in the air. We have several projects in the pipeline, and two announcements coming very soon that we’ve been holding close to our chest. Our plans are ambitious, maybe even a little audacious—but they are rooted in the same values we started with: thoughtful creation, meaningful experiences, and staying deeply connected to why we do what we do.
As we step into the new year, our hope is simple—to make it bigger, better, and braver, without losing our roots. Thank you for being part of this journey, for reading, showing up, supporting, and believing.
Here’s to a new year, and to everything still unfolding.
Happy New Year.
Hemleena
Dearest gentle readers, As the end of 2025 is here, let us pause for a moment and reflect upon what shaped “Persephone” this year.
2025 was impacted by ideas that lingered longer than expected and consequently pushed us to find answers not easily accessible. Some of our issues were inspired by movement, both returns and departures, some talked about lived experiences while others were focused on the quiet moments of life and artistic expression. All of these equally matter!
I’d like to thank our Founder for always inspiring us to observe, understand and deconstruct, our contributors for their relentless efforts to view art and the world with a perspective that includes integrity and compassion, our editing team for their diligence and dedication to creating a space this sustainable and aesthetic. I’d also like to express my deepest gratitude to our community of readers for reading closely and carrying our work with you, for allowing us to make a home in your hearts.
As we continue our journey through the coming year, I look forward to seeing what goes next!
by Prakriti
300+
Workshops Hosted
1200+
Participants Engaged
200+
Products sold after relauch
15+
Brand Collaborations
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Experimented with fully curated paint parties – Harry Potter and Taylor Swift.
These were super fun to organize, and the bonding that happened over art, our favorite fandoms, and food will continue to be a precious memory for the team. - Masterclasses continued to be a hit, and are now being made into an online series — stay tuned for some exciting updates!
- Planned out a summer art camp for kids from scratch.
- Introduced group art therapy sessions, which were well received and fulfilling for the participants and the team alike.
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New workshops introduced:
- Clay modeling
- Crocheting
- Ceramic plate painting
- Magnet painting
- Memory collage making
- Out of all the events that happened this year, one workshop stood out in terms of scale and popularity: Kintsugi.
From our largest one yet at Yashobhoomi to a scenic outstation event in Udaipur, Kintsugi has led to a lot of firsts for us this year.
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Experimented with a free heritage walk + live watercolour painting at Lodhi Garden.
What better way to spend a sunny winter afternoon than painting, chatting, and learning new things in cool places. -
Organized a giveaway.
The enthusiasm of participants was truly heartwarming to witness. -
Filmed fun YouTube videos.
This year was not only about creating memories but also about capturing them and turning them into fun, experimental videos. With our new editors on board and the combined ideas of the social media team, we produced content that truly did justice to our journey and experiences as a brand. -
Festive weekends leading up to Diwali were as colorful as imagined.
Definitely the favorite time of the year for many of our event associates, thanks to the rich, wholesome interactions we shared with participants that made their festivities even more special. -
Weekly art sessions with Aamra Senior’s Club have made Thursdays special.
They’ve become one of the team’s favorites — a chance to learn something new while brightening the seniors’ day. Bonding over art has turned into a tradition we always look forward to. -
Fun birthday paint parties organized.
Making someone’s special day even more memorable through the experiences we offer is something we’ll always hold close to our hearts.
- Curated a variety of art experiences for companies including The Oberoi Group, Deloitte, Max Estates, Google, Colt, Airbnb, Microsoft, and more.
- Fun brand collaborations with Got Tea, MISH, The Shimmer House Clothing, Laali Jaipur, and more.
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Relaunched merch line as sister brand Lore.
This one feels especially meaningful. Pouls.of.art began with the idea of sharing Poulomi’s art and merch, but along the way we were fortunate to grow into an experiences brand rather than just a merch brand. To give our merch the space it truly deserves, we chose to rebrand and relaunch it as a sister brand to Pouls.of.art. And on 20th September 2025, Lore grew from just an idea into a full‑fledged brand, made possible by the team’s dedication and hard work. - We changed the Pouls.of.art website layout to focus more on the workshops and experiences we offer. Events are now listed with bookings handled directly through us instead of collaborators. It’s still a work in progress, but we hope to keep improving and make the site more functional and easy to navigate.
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Core team’s retreat to the mountains (Mcleodganj).
It's one of those trips that leave you with stories to share for years to come. Read the Down the memory lane section to find out how this one turned out to be truly special for the core team. -
Full team’s day out to NGMA and Lodhi Garden.
This was a field day + picnic trip which was again a super fun team bonding day. -
First full team retreat on POA’s 3rd anniversary.
To mark three years of POA, the team enjoyed a day‑long retreat away from the city’s hustle. The celebration offered a refreshing break and created lasting memories together. -
Organized a festive Diwali party for the team.
The decorations arranged by Poulomi and Pooja left all of us in wonder and awe, completely transforming the office into a warm, cozy, and festive space. With the games, the food, and the people, it easily became one of the best parties of the year. -
Welcomed new members, bid farewell to cherished ones.
This year we welcomed several new and talented members, while also bidding farewell to some equally talented ones. -
Remote team members graced us with their presence in person this year.
Hemleena visited twice, Tanurima assisted in events beyond her usual research contributions, and Priya, along with her friends, joined to meet and support Poulomi at one of our outstation events in Mumbai.
Under the Surface
By Tanurima
Curious about what went on behind the scene while shaping each month’s edition of Persephone this year? We got it covered here!
A Trip Down the Memory Lane
Curated By Ritika
Read as our team members pen down their favourite memories from the year with a tinge of chaos and warmth.
Awards of the Year
Voted by Team members, Compiled by Hemleena
Rituals of Letting Go:
Finding Renewal Through Art
By Ritika
There’s something about December that feels different, as if the world slows down just enough for us to catch our breath. The air is gentler, the evenings come early, and everything seems to buzz with a quiet kind of ending. It’s the month of warm pauses, of remembering the mess and magic of the year, and of asking ourselves what we still need to hold on to and what it’s finally time to let go of.
Letting go doesn’t always have to be dramatic. Sometimes, it can be something as soft as painting over an old canvas, writing a letter you never send, or turning your memories into pieces of art. December gives us this in-between space, a chance to release gently, to create something new from the remains of what’s been.
Art has always known what we forget — that letting go can be beautiful. Every creative act has a bit of surrender in it. When a dancer loses herself in rhythm, when a writer cuts out a paragraph, or when a painter covers layers of color, there’s quiet release happening there. You’re not erasing the past, you’re transforming it and that change is a kind of healing.
One of such practices is a journaling-and-blackout ritual. Pour out everything that’s sitting heavy on your mind — disappointments, awkward moments, fears you didn’t say out loud. Then, with a black pen or paint, start covering the lines you are ready to let go of. What remains on the page is a distillation of what still matters, and a gentle crossing out of what doesn’t.
On other days, turn to scraps and leftovers like old tickets, scribbled notes, torn pages and glue them into messy collages. It’s strangely comforting to watch things you once thought of as “waste” become part of something new, as if the year itself is being rearranged into a different pattern. Sometimes, take farewell photographs of familiar corners, letting each image stand in for a goodbye you don’t know how to say in words.
And when thoughts feel too tangled for language, use your hands. Knead clay, try pottery, stitch a small patch, or doodle repetitive patterns until your breathing slows. These are not grand gestures, but that is exactly why they work: they turn letting go into something tender, physical, and manageable.
After the release comes renewal. December can also be a playground for trying something new, not to master it, but to feel alive again. There’s quiet joy in doing something with no expectations, something that asks you to be present, not perfect. Creativity, like life, thrives in cycles. What we shed often returns as strength in new forms. Some of such art pieces we carry with us are called the Infinite Journal, the Floral Journal and the Dreamer Journal.
✦Infinite is made of love, moments and memories. It cherishes the idea of love, warmth, and joy sitting right beside sorrow and restlessness. It is the perfect example of balance and letting go.
✦Floral is the quiet gratitude that sits in our hearts, while we head in the direction where the mind is at ease and we bloom like white and pink flowers.
✦Dreamer dreams, rests and rejuvenates. It is rooted in the simple act of being and it is what makes it lively and dreamy. Dreamer keeps all your poems and moonlit thoughts with her.
Talking about hobbies, we would like to extend an invitation to all the readers to send us their poems/art pieces/articles on Poulsofart@gmail.com and we would feature them in our January edition newsletter.
November showered us with a lot of love and we wish December to be our canvas of closure, painting hope on every page.
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