Terms & Conditions

Who these terms apply to

These terms cover anyone who uses this website, applies for membership of DEWI, holds a membership, or attends a DEWI gathering or event as a member, guest, exhibitor, or sponsor.

Using the site or attending an event means accepting them. If you do not accept them, do not apply and do not attend.

Membership is granted, not bought

You apply, a member of the governing body meets you in person or on a call, and the governing body decides. Paying a fee does not by itself create a membership, and the governing body may decline an application without giving reasons.

Membership is personal to you. It cannot be transferred, shared, or sold, and it does not pass to your business, your colleagues, or your family. Your DEWI ID card and indoctrination material remain the property of the collective and must be produced at gatherings.

You are expected to attend, to contribute, and to give as much as you take. DEWI is a working collective, not a subscription.

Code of conduct

The room only works because of how members behave in it. By joining you agree to the following, and the governing body enforces them.

• Treat every member, speaker, guest, vendor, and venue employee with respect. Harassment, intimidation, and discrimination of any kind end a membership.
• What a member shares in confidence at a gathering — a business difficulty, a health matter, a personal one — stays in the room.
• Do not use the membership list, the directory, or the WhatsApp groups for unsolicited selling, bulk marketing, chain messages, or political campaigning.
• Present honestly. Do not misrepresent your business, your qualifications, your turnover, or your association with DEWI.
• Do not speak for DEWI, sign on its behalf, or use its name, mark, or photographs in your own marketing without written permission from the governing body.
• Business you do with another member is between the two of you. Do it in writing and honour it.
• Respect the venue, its rules, and its staff. Members are responsible for the conduct of guests they bring.

A breach can lead to a warning, the withdrawal of speaking or presentation privileges, suspension, or termination of membership. Where a membership is terminated for a breach of this code, fees already paid are not refunded.

Gatherings

DEWI gathers monthly at a star hotel, a place of interest, a sponsor business centre, or a resort. The governing body sets the venue and confirms it to members in advance. There is no permanent address, and the venue changes month to month.

The programme — speakers, workshops, the self-help session, and the order of the evening — is set by the governing body and may change, including at short notice. Two members present their product or business idea at each gathering, for a fee, and slots are allocated in advance.

Attendance may require registration. Entry may be refused where a member cannot produce their ID card, where a venue's own rules require it, or on grounds of safety.

Events and ticketing

DEWI events — the Maaya Bazaar, the Bathukamma celebration, the Awards, Fashion Week, the Varahi Yaga, the Christmas Carnival and others — are ticketed separately from membership.

• A ticket or stall booking admits the named holder and is not transferable unless we agree in writing.
• Programmes, speakers, performers, timings, and venues may change. A change of that kind is not by itself a cancellation.
• Stalls and exhibition spaces are allocated by the organisers. Exhibitors are responsible for their own goods, staff, licences, and taxes, and for leaving the space as they found it.
• Entry may be refused or revoked without refund for conduct that endangers or harasses others, or that breaches the venue's rules.
• Nominations for the DEWI Awards are assessed by the jury the collective appoints. Entry fees, where charged, pay for that assessment and are not a purchase of an award.

Refunds on tickets and fees are dealt with separately in the Refund Policy.

Fees and payment

Membership fees, presentation slot fees, event tickets, stall charges, and award entry fees are published as and when they are set. They are payable in advance unless the governing body agrees otherwise.

Payments are taken through a payment provider on its own systems. DEWI does not collect card numbers, bank credentials, or passwords through this website, and no one from DEWI will ask you for them by email, phone, or WhatsApp. If you receive such a request, it is not from us — tell us.

The DEWI name and mark

The DEWI name, the trishul mark, the wordmark, the brochure, and the text and photographs on this site belong to the collective. You may not copy, adapt, or use them commercially without written permission.

Material you send us — your business description, your directory listing, your photographs — stays yours. By sending it you give DEWI permission to use it to run the collective and to publicise its work.

The business directory

Directory listings are published on the information members give us. Members are responsible for keeping their own listing accurate and lawful. A listing is not an endorsement, a recommendation, or a warranty of anyone's goods or services.

What DEWI is and is not responsible for

DEWI convenes a room. It does not guarantee business outcomes, introductions, sales, press coverage, awards, or the performance of any member's goods or services.

Contracts made between members, or between a member and a sponsor, vendor, or venue, are between those parties. DEWI is not a party to them and does not underwrite them.

Talks, workshops, mentoring sessions, and wellness and counselling programmes are offered for general guidance. They are not professional legal, financial, medical, or psychological advice, and should not be relied on as a substitute for it.

Attend events at your own risk and look after your own belongings.

Ending a membership

You may resign at any time by writing to us. The governing body may suspend or terminate a membership for a breach of these terms or the code of conduct, for non-payment, or where continuing it would harm the collective or its members.

On termination, access to gatherings, groups, and the directory ends and the ID card and indoctrination material are returned. Refunds, if any, follow the Refund Policy.

Governing law

The collective operates from India and these terms are intended to be read under Indian law. [PLACEHOLDER — DEWI's counsel to confirm the collective's legal form, the correct governing-law wording, and the forum for disputes before this page is published.]

Any dispute should first be raised with the governing body in writing. Most things are settled in a conversation.

Changes to these terms

These terms may be updated. The date at the top of this page shows when they last changed, and material changes are announced at a gathering and by email. Continuing as a member after a change means accepting it.