What we collect, and what we do with it
Vedanta Community, the public name of the Vedanta Institute Durban Trust, runs this website at vedanta.community. This policy says what personal details we collect, why, who sees them and how long we keep them. It is written in plain words; if anything is unclear, write to us.
Draft for the trust’s approval, 19 October 2026.
What we collect
When you register for a class, order a book, give, volunteer or write to us, we collect what you type into the form: your name, email address, phone number, city and country, a child’s age and a parent’s name for a youth class, a postal address for a book, and any message you leave. We also keep a note of which class or event you registered for.
The website stores one preference in your own browser: the time zone you chose for the calendar. It never leaves your device, and you can clear it with your browser’s site data.
We do not use advertising cookies and we do not sell or rent your details to anyone.
Why we collect it
- To send you the Zoom link and reminders for the class you registered for.
- To tell you the date of a talk, workshop or class you asked to hear about.
- To post a book to you and to confirm its price before you pay.
- To send a receipt for a gift, and to meet the trust’s accounting duties.
- To answer your question.
Who sees it
The people who run the community’s classes and administration. The services we use to run the classes also handle some of it: Zoom for online classes, WhatsApp for the community group if you choose to join it, and our email provider for confirmations and reminders. Each has its own privacy policy. We do not pass your details to anyone else.
How long we keep it
For as long as you are registered with a class or on the mailing list, and for the period the trust must keep financial records for gifts and orders. If you ask us to remove your details, we do so, except for records the trust is required to keep.
Your rights
You can ask us at any time what details we hold about you, ask for them to be corrected or deleted, and leave the mailing list or the WhatsApp community. Write to info@vedanta.community. Under South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act you may also complain to the Information Regulator.
Children
A parent or guardian registers a child for the youth programmes. We collect a child’s first name and age so that the class fits them, and we write to the parent, never to the child.
Photographs
Talks, workshops and classes may be photographed or filmed for the community’s own publicity. Tell us at the door, or in the class chat, if you would rather not appear, and we will respect that. Online classes are a conversation and are not published.
Changes
If this policy changes, the new version appears here with its date.