Last updated: 14 November 2026
The short version
- We collect only what we need to send you the free book, book and run your sessions, and reply to your messages.
- What you share in a session stays private. It is never used for content, and we delete your notes whenever you ask.
- We don't sell your data and we don't use it for advertising.
- You can ask to see, correct or delete your data at any time by writing to hello@phasesofvidya.com.
1. Who we are
Phases of Vidya (“we”, “us”, “our”) is operated by Vidya. For the purposes of India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (the “DPDP Act”), we are the Data Fiduciary for the personal data described here. You can reach us at hello@phasesofvidya.com.
This policy explains what personal data we collect, why, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the rights you have. It follows the DPDP Act and its Rules, and the Information Technology Act, 2000 with the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 (the “SPDI Rules”).
2. What this policy covers
This policy covers our website at https://www.phasesofvidya.com, the free book, our 1:1 sessions, and messages you send us by email, WhatsApp or Instagram. It doesn't cover other websites we link to.
3. What we collect and why
| What | When | Why we use it |
|---|---|---|
| Your email address or WhatsApp number, and the edition you chose | When you ask for the free book | To send you the book |
| Your choice about occasional notes | If you tick the box on the book form | To send you short notes, about twice a month, until you unsubscribe |
| Name, email, WhatsApp number, language preference and your answers to booking questions | When you book a call or session | To schedule the session, send confirmations, reminders and the meeting link, and prepare for our conversation |
| Payment reference, amount and status | When you pay | To confirm your booking, issue receipts, process refunds and keep accounts. Razorpay handles the payment itself; we never see your full card, UPI or bank details. |
| What you share in a session, and Vidya's notes | During and after sessions | To write your 1% note and continue where we left off in later sessions |
| Messages you send us | When you contact us | To reply to you |
| Usage data: pages visited, device and browser type, approximate region | When you browse the website, if analytics is switched on | To understand which pages are useful. We don't use it to identify you or show you ads. |
We don't ask for more than this. Please don't send us government ID numbers, bank details or medical records; we don't need them.
4. Session notes and sensitive information
Things you tell us about your mental and emotional health are sensitive personal data under the SPDI Rules, and we treat them with extra care:
- We collect them only with your consent, which you give when you book a session after reading this policy.
- We keep notes short, and only what's needed to help you.
- Only Vidya can access them. They're stored in accounts protected by strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
- Sessions are not recorded.
- We never share your notes, and we never turn anything you share into content, not even with names changed.
- We delete your notes within 30 days of your request, and in any case 12 months after your last session.
There are two narrow exceptions to confidentiality. We may share information if the law requires it, for example under a court order. And if we believe there is a serious and immediate risk to your life or someone else's, we may contact emergency services or a person you've named. We would only share what is necessary.
5. Our legal basis
We process your personal data on the basis of your consent, given freely for the specific purposes listed above. We also process some data for legitimate uses allowed by the DPDP Act, such as keeping invoices and payment records that tax law requires us to keep. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time (see section 9).
6. Who we share data with
We don't sell personal data, and we don't share it for advertising. We use a small number of trusted service providers (Data Processors) who process data only on our instructions, to run the service:
| Provider | What they do for us |
|---|---|
| Cal ID (OneHash Technologies) | Booking page, scheduling, reminders |
| Razorpay | Payments and refunds |
| Google (Meet, Calendar, Workspace) | Video calls, calendar invites, email |
| Brevo | Sending the book by email, and occasional notes if you opt in |
| AiSensy and Meta (WhatsApp) | Sending the book, reminders and messages on WhatsApp |
| Vercel | Hosting the website |
| Google Analytics | Anonymous usage statistics, if switched on |
Some of these providers may store or process data outside India. We choose providers that protect data with industry-standard security, and we will follow any restrictions the Government of India notifies on transferring personal data abroad. We may also disclose data where the law requires it, or to protect our legal rights.
7. How long we keep it
- Book requests: the contact details used to send you the book are deleted within 90 days, unless you opted in to notes.
- Occasional notes: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your details.
- Booking and payment records: for as long as tax and accounting law requires (currently up to 8 years). After that they are deleted.
- Session notes: until you ask us to delete them, and no longer than 12 months after your last session.
- Messages: up to 12 months after our conversation ends.
8. Your rights
Under the DPDP Act, you have the right to:
- Access: get a summary of the personal data we hold about you, what we do with it, and who we've shared it with.
- Correction and erasure: ask us to correct, complete, update or delete your data.
- Withdraw consent: at any time, as easily as you gave it.
- Grievance redressal: complain to us and get a response (see section 13).
- Nominate: name someone who can exercise these rights for you if you die or become unable to.
To use any of these rights, write to hello@phasesofvidya.com with the subject “Privacy request”. We may ask you to confirm your identity first. We'll acknowledge your request within 7 days and resolve it within one month. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Data Protection Board of India.
9. Withdrawing consent
You can stop occasional notes with the unsubscribe link in any email, by replying STOP on WhatsApp, or by writing to us. To withdraw consent for session notes, write to us and we'll delete them. Withdrawing consent doesn't affect anything we did lawfully before you withdrew it, and records that the law requires us to keep, such as invoices, will be kept for the required period.
10. Cookies and analytics
Our website doesn't use advertising or tracking cookies. If analytics is switched on, Google Analytics sets cookies to count visits and see which pages are used; it doesn't tell us who you are. The booking page (Cal ID) and the payment page (Razorpay) may set cookies they need to work. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; the website will still work.
11. How we protect your data
We use HTTPS across the website, strong passwords and two-factor authentication on every account that holds your data, and we limit access to Vidya alone. No system is perfectly secure, but if a personal data breach affects you, we'll inform you and the Data Protection Board of India as the law requires, and tell you what we're doing about it.
12. Children
Our sessions and website are for adults aged 18 and over. We don't knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has given us their data, please write to us and we'll delete it.
13. Grievance officer
If you have a question or complaint about how we handle your personal data, contact our grievance officer:
- Name
- Vidya
- hello@phasesofvidya.com
- Response time
- Acknowledged within 7 days, resolved within one month
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as our service or the law changes. We'll change the date at the top when we do. If a change significantly affects how we use your data, we'll tell you by email or WhatsApp before it takes effect, where we have your details.