Terms of Service

The agreement

These terms are an agreement between you and Jatinder Sandhu, an individual based in Connecticut, USA, who runs Akaal ("Akaal", "we", "us"). Contact: akaal.app.support@gmail.com. By using Akaal you agree to these terms and to the Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't use Akaal.

Akaal is a free community resource for the Sikh Sangat: Gurbani, Kirtan, Sikh history, trivia, a calendar, Akaal AI and Seva (community volunteering).

Who can use Akaal

Anyone can use Akaal without an account. Accounts are open to all ages, with these rules: people under 18 sign in with a username and password, with no email address unless, from 13, they add one to post in the Sangat feed (without one, they can't reset a forgotten password); hosting a Seva or managing a gurdwara's page needs an email address verified by Akaal's link; children under 13 can use an account only after a parent or guardian approves it; Akaal AI is for people 13 and over and Seva for adults (18 and over); and accounts for anyone under 18 keep a nickname only. Your birth month and year must be true. Giving a false age breaks these terms.

If you're under 18, a parent or guardian must agree to these terms for you and is responsible for your use of Akaal. Children and teens can take part in a Seva only by going with a parent or guardian who joins it on their own account; that adult is responsible for them throughout.

Gurbani, translations and recordings

Gurbani belongs to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and is presented for daily practice and learning. Gurbani text, translations and transliterations are provided by BaniDB, and remain subject to BaniDB's own terms and the rights of their translators. Kirtan recordings are from Gurbani Updesh and are used in Akaal with their permission; they remain the property of Gurbani Updesh and the ragis who recorded them. Historical content is presented for education, drawn from documented Sikh historical sources. Translations and historical interpretations can contain mistakes; please tell us about any you notice.

The Punjabi version of the app is a translation. If the English and Punjabi versions of these terms differ, the English version applies.

Akaal AI

Akaal AI can be wrong. It isn't a religious authority, counsellor or professional adviser, and its answers aren't official Sikh teaching. Check important matters with knowledgeable people. Gurbani lines it shows are checked against the Guru Granth Sahib Ji text, but the explanations around them are written by a computer. The same applies to the line-by-line explanations (Explain this line): they are written by a computer from published translations and teekas, are saved and shown to other readers of the same line, and are not a substitute for a Gurbani teacher. The background notes on Itihaas and Guru pages (Tell me more) are written and saved the same way and can contain mistakes. If you are in crisis or danger, contact your local emergency services.

Seva

Sevas are organised by members of the community, not by Akaal. Akaal does not vet hosts or participants, does not supervise events, and cannot guarantee anyone's safety. Hosts are responsible for the safety and supervision of their event and for the age rules they choose. Adults who bring children are responsible for those children at all times. Meet in public places where you can, tell someone you trust where you are going, and use your own judgement. Akaal does not arrange or match transport. Akaal is not an emergency service.

Taking part in a Seva is voluntary and at your own risk. To the extent the law allows, you accept the risks of in-person activities, including travel, physical work, food handling and contact with other people.

Service hours

Service hours are signed by hosts. Akaal records them and lets anyone with a form's code check it, but doesn't certify that the hours took place. "Verified host" means only that Akaal has confirmed the host's identity or organization; it is not a guarantee of the host or their events. Signing or requesting hours that didn't happen, or giving a false name, breaks these terms.

Sangat feed

The Sangat feed is for people aged 13 and over. To post, comment or react, you need a verified email address and must accept the Sangat guidelines, which are part of these terms. Everything you post there is seen by other members of the feed, who include teenagers and adults you don't know.

Posts and comments are checked automatically before they appear. Some wait until Akaal's team has checked them, and some can't be posted at all. The automatic check can be wrong in either direction; Akaal's team makes the final decision. Don't use the feed to seek private contact with anyone, and never with someone under 18.

What you post

You keep ownership of what you post (Sevas, chat messages, Sangat posts and comments, images, photos, videos, recordings, reflections). You give Akaal a free, worldwide licence to store, display and deliver it within the app for as long as it's there, and you confirm you have the right to post it, including permission from the people in any photo, and from a parent or guardian for anyone under 18.

Don't post anything unlawful, threatening, harassing, hateful, sexual or deceptive; don't post other people's private information or photos of people without their permission; don't advertise, spam, or ask for money outside the donation links Akaal provides; and don't use Akaal to contact young people. There is no tolerance for objectionable content or abusive behaviour.

Akaal's own content and code

The Akaal app and website, including their code, design, the text written for Akaal, and its illustrations and icons, belong to Jatinder Sandhu or are used under licence. Gurbani, its translations and teekas, and the Kirtan and Nitnem recordings belong to their sources, which are credited under About this app.

You may use Akaal for your own reading, listening and Seva. Don't copy, sell or republish the app or its code; don't collect its content in bulk by automated means (scraping); don't try to get around its limits or security; and don't take the app apart to rebuild or copy it, except where the law allows.

Reports, moderation and closing accounts

You can report any Seva, Sangat post or comment, person or message, and block people, from inside the app. We review reports and may, at our discretion and without notice, remove content, cancel a Seva, remove someone from a Seva, or suspend or delete an account that breaks these terms or puts others at risk. Sevas, posts and comments that receive several reports from established accounts may be hidden while they are reviewed. When Akaal's team removes something you posted in the Sangat feed or stops you posting, the app tells you why; if you think it was a mistake, email ${EMAIL} and a person will look at it again. You can stop using Akaal and delete your account at any time.

Copyright complaints: if you believe something in Akaal infringes your copyright, email akaal.app.support@gmail.com with the content's location, the work you own, and your contact details. We will remove infringing content and close the accounts of repeat infringers.

Charities

The Charities section links to outside organisations' own donation pages. Akaal does not process donations and does not endorse or guarantee any organisation.

No warranty and limits on liability

Akaal is provided free, as is and as available, without warranties of any kind, including that it will be accurate, uninterrupted or error-free.

To the extent the law allows, Akaal is not liable for indirect or consequential losses, for loss of data, or for anything that happens at a Seva or between users, and Akaal's total liability to you for any claim is limited to US$100. You agree to cover Akaal's reasonable costs from claims caused by your breach of these terms or by what you post.

Nothing in these terms limits liability that can't be limited by law, such as for death or personal injury caused by negligence or for fraud, or removes rights you have as a consumer under the law where you live.

Law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Connecticut, USA, and disputes go to the courts of Connecticut. If you live outside the United States, you also keep the protection of the mandatory laws of your country and can bring a claim in your local courts.

Other terms

If you got Akaal from the Apple App Store or Google Play, their standard terms also apply between you and them; Apple and Google are not responsible for Akaal. If any part of these terms can't be enforced, the rest still applies. Not enforcing a term isn't a waiver of it. These terms and the Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between you and Akaal about the app.

The date at the top shows when these terms last changed. Before an important change takes effect, Akaal will show a notice in the app.