Dear friends, Good News! Our Petition has succeeded!! I am delighted to announce that the Archaeological Survey of India has responded to our query that was filed through the RTI, and has declared very clearly that "No permission is required to sketch within the precincts of a monument if any person is NOT using appliances such as camera-stand, stool, chair, table, large drawing board or easel" This is indeed a victory for our campaign, since this was clearly our intent, and clarifies to us that we NEED NOT get any permission whatsoever to go and sketch in ANY monument under the ASI anywhere in India. Thank you all for supporting and signing and registering your concern. The overwhelming support was instrumental in ASI understanding the needs and responding favorably. Thanks to friends from the press who not only wrote about the situation but also brought it to the notice of the officials and sensitized them. Let us thank ASI for providing the proper interpretation of the concerned rule. Thanks are due to Change.org as well as those who played part in implementing RTI. We now do have a tool that works. I am attaching the letter from the ASI for your reference. You can print it out when needed and present it to the officials who may not be aware of this clarification. The ASI Letter .. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-mURCQ01faIMm5NdnRNdVU4VkE I am sure we may need it for sometime to come. Happy Sketching! --Ganapathy Subramaniam (gpathy@yahoo.com)