Community Guidelines

Saarathi is a space for sharing Vachanas, devotional content, events, and community discussion. These guidelines describe what we expect from everyone who uses Saarathi, what we don’t allow, and how we deal with content that crosses the line. They are part of our Terms of Service — by using Saarathi you agree to follow them.

1. What’s welcome here

Vachanas and devotional content, with thoughtful commentary or context.
Original posts, articles, and events that contribute to the community.
Respectful discussion, including disagreement, as long as it stays civil.
Sharing work by others when you have permission or the right to do so, with clear attribution.
Constructive feedback to fellow publishers and community members.

2. What’s not allowed

Some content is incompatible with a respectful community and is removed when we find it.

2.1 Harassment, threats, and bullying

Targeting another person with insults, slurs, threats, sustained unwanted contact, or coordinated attacks — including towards public figures or other publishers — is not allowed.

2.2 Hate speech and discrimination

Content that demeans or attacks people based on caste, religion, ethnicity, race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or similar characteristics is not allowed.

2.3 Sexual content

Sexually explicit content, nudity, and content that sexualises minors in any way is not allowed. Content that sexualises minors will result in immediate account termination and may be reported to the appropriate authorities.

2.4 Violence and graphic content

Content that depicts or glorifies real-world violence, self-harm, or animal cruelty is not allowed. Gratuitously graphic content has no place here.

2.5 Illegal activity

Content that promotes or facilitates illegal activity — including the sale of regulated goods, fraud, or instructions for causing harm — is not allowed.

2.6 Impersonation and deception

Pretending to be another person, organisation, or publisher, or running coordinated networks of accounts to mislead the community, is not allowed.

2.7 Misinformation that causes harm

We don’t take sides on matters of belief or interpretation. We do remove content that fabricates facts to cause real-world harm — for example, falsely accusing a named person of a crime, or making dangerous health claims.

2.8 Spam and manipulation

Bulk unsolicited messages, deceptive engagement tactics, repeated posting of the same content, and attempts to game ranking are not allowed.

2.9 Intellectual property violations

Posting copyrighted text, images, or audio without permission, or impersonating a publisher’s brand, is not allowed. If you believe your rights are being infringed, see Section 6.

2.10 Privacy violations

Sharing another person’s private information — phone numbers, addresses, financial information, or other identifying details — without their consent is not allowed.

2.11 Security abuse

Distributing malware, phishing links, or content designed to attack other users or the Service is not allowed.

3. Reporting content or users

If you see something that breaks these guidelines, please report it. We treat reports seriously and aim to review reports of objectionable content within 24 hours.

3.1 In the app

Tap the menu on any of the following and select Report:

Posts
Events
Places
Media (audio and video)
Vachanas
Comments and replies
User profiles

Pick the reason that best fits and add a short note if it helps explain the problem.

3.2 By email

For urgent reports, especially anything involving the safety of a child, an imminent threat, or content that you believe is illegal, write to abuse@saarathi.us. Please include:

A description of the content or behaviour.
Links or screenshots, if you have them.
Why you believe it violates these guidelines.

3.3 What happens next

A trained reviewer evaluates each report against these guidelines. Possible outcomes include leaving the content up (if no violation), removing the content, warning the author, restricting features for the account, or, for serious or repeated violations, suspending or terminating the account.

We do not share the identity of the reporter with the reported user.

4. Blocking and muting

You don’t need our permission to keep your space clean. Open any user’s profile and tap the menu to block them. Blocked users:

Cannot see your profile or your content.
Cannot send you messages or comment on your posts.
Will not appear in your feed or search results.

You can manage your block list in Profile → Settings → Blocked users.

5. Enforcement and appeals

We try to be proportionate. For a first-time, minor violation we typically remove the content and notify the author. For repeated or serious violations we restrict features, suspend, or terminate the account. For content that sexualises minors, content involving credible imminent harm, or other categories that demand immediate action, we move directly to termination.

5.1 Repeat-offender escalation

For violations that fall outside the “immediate termination” categories above, our standard escalation is:

First confirmed violation — content removed and the author notified, with a written explanation of which guideline was broken.
Second confirmed violation of the same policy — posting and commenting are restricted for 7 days; the user can still read, but cannot publish new content during the restriction.
Third confirmed violation — account suspended for 14 days. A fourth confirmed violation typically results in permanent termination.

Violations involving child safety, hate speech directed at protected classes, illegal activity, or credible threats of violence may result in immediate permanent termination regardless of prior history.

5.2 Appeals

If we take action against your content or account and you believe we got it wrong, you can appeal. Write to appeals@saarathi.us within 30 days of the action, explain what happened and why you disagree, and we will review. We aim to respond to appeals within 7 business days; complex cases involving safety claims may take longer, and we will let you know if so.

6. Copyright and intellectual property

We respect intellectual property rights and expect users to do the same. If you believe content on Saarathi infringes your copyright, send a notice to abuse@saarathi.us with:

Your contact information.
A description of the copyrighted work you claim is infringed.
Where the infringing content appears on Saarathi (link or screenshot).
A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorised.
A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information is accurate and that you are the rights holder or authorised to act on their behalf.
Your physical or electronic signature.

If you receive a takedown notice and you believe it was sent in error, you can submit a counter-notice to the same address.

7. Law-enforcement requests

We respond to valid legal requests from law-enforcement agencies. If you are an officer making such a request, please email legal@saarathi.us with the legal process attached. In emergencies involving an imminent risk to human life, please mark your email EMERGENCY DISCLOSURE REQUEST.

8. Changes to these guidelines

We may update these guidelines as the community grows and new issues come up. When we make a material change we will update the “Last updated” date and, where reasonably possible, give notice in the app, by email, or both.

9. Contact

Report abuse: abuse@saarathi.us
Appeals: appeals@saarathi.us
Law enforcement: legal@saarathi.us
General support: support@saarathi.us