Terms of use & giving.

Welcome

You’re reading this because you visited storiesbyaradhana.com or chose to support our work. By using this website or contributing to the Stories by Aradhana Foundation for Change, you agree to the terms outlined below. We’ve kept them honest, plain and short — the way we tell our stories.

About us

Stories by Aradhana is an impact-led storytelling studio based in India.

The Stories by Aradhana Foundation for Change is the on-ground arm of the studio — a registered Section 8 company, committed to creating positive social impact through storytelling and sustained community support. The Foundation is registered under Section 332 (erstwhile Section 12A) of the Income Tax Act, and donations are eligible for tax benefits under Section 354 (erstwhile Section 80G), subject to applicable laws.

For any clarification, write to foundation@storiesbyaradhana.com.

Use of the website

You may browse, share, link to, and reference our work freely. By using this site, you agree:

• —Not to attempt to disrupt or compromise the security of the website.
• —Not to scrape, replicate or republish our content (stories, films, photographs, copy) without written permission.
• —Not to impersonate the brand, the Foundation, or any team member.

All text, photographs, films, stories and graphics on this website are the property of Stories by Aradhana unless explicitly credited otherwise. Press, brands and collaborators may use embedded content with attribution.

Ways to support us

We welcome contributions in three forms — each with its own purpose and accountability:

1. The Foundation for Change Circle (FCC) — our monthly donor community. A recurring monthly contribution that pools into our common fund. A minimum of 75% of every FCC contribution goes directly toward supporting the individuals whose stories we have documented — including beneficiaries like Deepali Ghosh, Dilip Ganguly and Mansukh Kaka. The remaining funds sustain the research, travel, documentation, verification and follow-up work that makes continued support possible. FCC members receive impact updates, behind-the-scenes access, half-yearly meetups, and an Income Tax Exemption certificate shared as per the applicable provisions of the Income Tax Act.

2. One-time general donations to the Foundation. Contributions made outside any specific campaign are pooled into the same common fund and deployed wherever the need is most urgent, under the same 75%-minimum-direct-to-beneficiary commitment.

3. Crowdfunding campaigns for specific individuals. Funds raised through a campaign for a named individual (e.g., a beneficiary featured in our work) are ring-fenced and used solely for that person. 100% of these funds go to the named individual and that cause alone. These funds are separately accounted for and cannot be redirected.

When you donate to us, you confirm that

• —Your contribution is voluntary and made with the intent to support our charitable work.
• —The funds you are donating are legitimate and lawfully held by you.
• —You consent to your name, email, phone, postal address and (where applicable) PAN being stored in our records for receipt, communication and statutory purposes.
• —Where applicable, you may receive an Income Tax Exemption certificate shared as per the applicable provisions of the Income Tax Act.
• —You agree to our Refund & Cancellation Policy and Privacy Policy.

We use Razorpay as our payment processor. All payment data is handled directly by Razorpay under their own security standards — we never see or store your full card or bank details.

Foundation for Change Circle (FCC) membership

When you join the FCC:

• —You authorise us, via Razorpay, to charge your selected payment method on a monthly recurring basis until you cancel.
• —You may cancel at any time by writing to foundation@storiesbyaradhana.com or calling our team. Cancellations apply from the next billing cycle.
• —Your contributions support a pooled common fund rather than a single individual. Specific allocation is determined by our team based on urgency, need and available resources.
• —Member benefits — impact updates, behind-the-scenes content, periodic reports, half-yearly meetups, and an Income Tax Exemption certificate (shared as per the applicable provisions of the Income Tax Act) — are extended for as long as your membership is active.

Crowdfunding campaigns for specific individuals

When you contribute to a crowdfunding campaign for a named individual:

• —100% of your contribution is ring-fenced and used only for the person and purpose stated in the campaign.
• —These funds are separately accounted for and reported in the impact updates for that campaign.
• —Once campaign goals have been met and disbursements have begun, funds cannot be reallocated.

Our commitment to transparency

We will share periodic reports with FCC members showing how contributions have been utilised and the impact created. While we strive to support as many individuals as possible, our ability to do so will always depend on the resources available through FCC and the urgency of need at any given time.

Every request for support is carefully evaluated by our team based on urgency, need, and available resources.

Limitation of liability

We do our best to keep the website, donation flow and content accurate, secure and accessible. However, we cannot guarantee uninterrupted access, and we are not liable for any indirect loss arising from use of this site or any third-party platform we link to (publications, social media, payment gateways).

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time as our work and the law evolve. The most recent version will always be available at this URL, with the “Last updated” date refreshed below.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of India, with disputes (if any, and we hope none) subject to the jurisdiction of courts in Kolkata, West Bengal.