Privacy policy

Last updated: 4 October 2026

SevaLekh (sevalekh.com and its Android app) is a free, volunteer-run, non-commercial service for reading Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji with meanings written by a team of sevadaars. This page explains what information it uses and why. It shows no ads and sells or shares no one's information.

Reading without signing in

You can read, share, print and use the MukhWak page without an account. Your reading choices (text size, languages, larivaar, vishraams and similar) are kept only in your own browser's storage on your device. If you add your own Google AI Studio key to translate, it is kept only on your device and sent only to Google when you ask for a translation.

Signing in with Google

If you sign in, Google tells SevaLekh your name, email address and a user ID. SevaLekh stores, in Google Firebase (Firestore):

• for everyone: your user ID, and the Angs you asked meanings for (🙋 requests);
• for volunteers: your name, email and role, the meanings, comments and edits you make (with your name, as their history), and notifications about changes. Emails are visible only to Admins; other volunteers see names.

Sign-in uses Google's own sign-in; SevaLekh never sees your Google password.

Services SevaLekh uses

• Google Firebase (hosting, sign-in, database) — Firebase privacy.
• Google AI (Gemini), only when someone presses a ✨ AI button: the text of the meanings being translated or proofread is sent to Google to do it.
• BaniDB (Gurbani text and teekas) and SGPC (the MukhWak audio) — your browser fetches these directly or through SevaLekh's small audio relay on Cloudflare, which passes on only the audio file.
• GitHub (GitHub Pages) hosts the ready-made MukhWak pictures and videos.

YouTube, Instagram and Telegram posting

SevaLekh's daily robot posts the day's MukhWak video to SevaLekh's own YouTube channel, Instagram account and Telegram channel. It uses YouTube API Services only to upload to SevaLekh's own channel; it does not read, collect or store any information about viewers or other YouTube users. YouTube's use is governed by the YouTube Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy. SevaLekh's access can be removed at any time at Google account permissions.

Keeping and deleting

Meanings that volunteers wrote stay as part of SevaLekh's shared work. To have your account, requests or personal details removed, write to the contact address below; we will remove them, and replace your name on any past edits with "a sevadaar".

Children

SevaLekh is for the whole Sangat. The ✨ own-AI-key option is for people 18 and over, as Google requires.

Changes and contact

If this policy changes, the date above changes with it. Questions: sevalekh@gmail.com.