In a first, it was made available in a hybrid mode, with several forms of engagement - a fantastic line up of scholars who made visual PowerPoint presentations, hands-on demonstration at onsite workshops with traditional smiths, gallery and laboratory viewing, and a site visit, some of which were special perks for in person participants. Workshop participants joined in from across India. The workshop touched on various aspects and stages of metal making, metal history of the region of Mewar, geography, geology, arts and crafts, manufacturing techniques employed and conservation of metal artworks.

It commenced with an introductory speech about the initiatives of the Trust, by Mr. Bhupendra Singh Auwa, Administrator in Chief, MMCF. Mr. Bharat Dave from Hindustan Zinc presented the first paper on the Metal sources in Aravallis and the recent work undertaken by his company. The second paper was based on Bronze Age rural communities of Aravallis who were involved in metal making works in Protohistoric phase. In this talk, Prof. J.S. Kharakwal from Sahitya Sansthan explained about the Ahar and Ganeshwer- Jodhopura cultures and their metal related activities. Prof. Ambika Patel from M.S. University, Vadodara spoke about metal artefacts recovered from archaeological excavations and on how they can be efficiently displayed in museums and used for education. Post lunch, Prof. Kharakwal shared the significance of Zawar and the history of Zinc distillation technique. Full-Bright scholar, Mr. Jordan Lamothe shared his work on wootz blade-making with respect to knives and swords. Participants were given an exclusive tour of the Arms laboratory, with a tour of the upcoming Saleh Khana Gallery reserved for in-person participants only. The day ended with a curatorial walk of The City Palace Museum, Udaipur with Associate Curator, Dr. Hansmukh Seth.

Day two commenced with a lecture by Dr. Vandana Singh, Arms Conservation Consultant, who discussed about her conservation work on the arms collection at the City Palace Museum. Dr. Hansmukh Seth spoke on the history and development of weapons in Mewar and its depiction in the arts. Mr. Lamothe presented his work on Koftfgiri - a technique to embellish weapons with gold and silver wires. A hands-on demonstration of blade polishing, by traditional smiths, Mr. Heeralal Sikligar and Mr. Ghanshyam Sikligar was conducted in the Arms conservation laboratory and facilitated by Dr. Vandana Singh. Post lunch, all the participants and speakers visited the workshop space of Koftgiri artists, Mr. Rahul and Mr. Sandeep Chouhan during which they were shown the entire process of Koftgiri. Subsequently, Mr. Lamothe demonstrated the various

stages of blade making at another workshop space. The third and last day of the workshop was optional. It included a trip to Zawar, the oldest Zinc mining and smelting site. Dr. Arvind Kumar from Geological Survey of India facilitated the site visit to the ancient mining and smelting areas of Zawar, and religious-cultural spaces within its precincts. He also delivered a presentation on the silver mining and smelting history of Zawar.

All speakers were felicitated with a MMCF kit, and participants received certificates at the end of the workshop. The three-day workshop was compered by Assistant Curator, Ms. Chelsea Santos.

Workshop poster and Workshop facilitators