These terms apply to every experience you book on this website: the cycle tour, the cycle rental, classes and workshops at Sita Cultural Center, Pondicherry, India. By ticking the box when you book, you accept them.
Last updated: 29 October 2026
1Who we are
- Experiences are run by Sita Cultural Center (“Sita”, “we”), 22, Candappa Moudaliar Street, Pondicherry 605001, India. Phone and WhatsApp +91 99440 16128, email sitapondicherry@gmail.com.
2Booking and payment
- A booking is confirmed only when the full amount has been paid online and you have received your confirmation voucher by email.
- Prices are in Indian rupees (INR) and include GST. Adult, child and baby prices are shown on the booking page before you pay.
- Online payments are processed by Razorpay. We never see or store your card details.
- Your bill is issued by Sita after the experience takes place.
- Bookings close at 6:00 pm India time (IST) on the day before the experience. The cycle rental closes at 6:30 pm India time on the day before. The 3:30 pm cycle tour, when it is open, can be booked until 11:30 am India time on the same day.
3Group size and timings
- Every experience takes a maximum of 10 guests per session. The cycle rental has 6 cycles in all.
- The cycle tour starts at 7:00 am. A second tour at 3:30 pm opens only when the morning tour is well booked.
- Private groups can ask for a different time. This is by request only and is confirmed by us in writing.
- Please arrive 10 minutes before the start. If you are late we may have to start without you, and no refund is due.
4Cancellation and refunds
- If you cancel 48 hours or more before the start, you receive a full refund (100%).
- This 48-hour rule applies to every advance booking made on this website, classes and cycle rental included. Guests who walk in and pay at our front office for a service they take straight away are not concerned: the service is delivered on the spot, so there is nothing to cancel.
- If you cancel less than 48 hours before the start, or do not show up, there is no automatic refund. Please contact us as soon as possible. We will look for a fair solution together, for example a credit note for a later experience.
- Solo supplement: our cooking classes and workshops are designed for small groups. A guest who books alone, in a class nobody else has booked, pays a solo supplement (₹500 for the cooking classes, ₹400 for the workshops). If other guests take part in the same class, the supplement is refunded on the day of the class, in cash or by UPI as the guest prefers. If nobody else takes part, the supplement is not refunded and the guest enjoys a private class.
- Refunds go back to the original payment method, usually within 5 to 10 working days after we process them. Your bank’s timing may vary.
- To cancel, write to us or message us on WhatsApp with your booking reference.
- Emails: besides your confirmation, we may send you one reminder if you started a booking but did not finish it, and one short message after your visit asking for your review. We do not send anything else, and we never share your address.
- If we cancel (bad weather, safety, a teacher who is unavailable, or any other reason on our side), you can choose a new date or a full refund.
5Changing your booking
- You can change the date or time up to 48 hours before the start, subject to availability. Contact us with your booking reference.
6Cycle rental
- The cycle rental is by the day. You collect your cycle from 7:30 am at Sita Cultural Center and bring it back the same day by 6:30 pm. You can take and return it at any time within those hours. The rent is one fixed price per cycle per day, the same whether you keep it for one hour or for the whole day, and no part of it is refunded for returning the cycle early. If you need it for longer, ask us on WhatsApp before.
- The price is per cycle, per day, and includes GST. The price shown on the booking page when you pay is the price you pay. The launch price of ₹250 per cycle per day applies to rental days up to 30 November 2026; from 1 December 2026 the normal price of ₹350 applies.
- Security deposit: ₹1,000 per cycle. You pay it to our team at pickup, in cash or by UPI only. It is not paid on the website. We give it back in full when you return the cycle on time and in the same condition.
- Original ID: we may also ask you to leave an original photo ID (for example your passport or driving licence) with our team while you have the cycle. We keep it safely and give it back when you return the cycle. A copy is not enough.
- The cycle is your responsibility from the moment you collect it until you return it. You are responsible for the cost of any damage, loss or theft, however it happens. We take the repair or replacement cost from your deposit first, and if the cost is higher than the deposit you pay the difference. Normal wear, such as light scratches, is not charged.
- Please lock the cycle every time you leave it, and never lend it to anyone else.
- You ride at your own risk. Please follow the traffic rules and ride with care. Sita is not responsible for accidents, injury, or loss of your belongings during the rental. You must be able to ride safely, and a rider under 18 must be with a responsible adult.
- Every renter signs a short release of responsibility at pickup. Cancellation follows the rule in “Cancellation and refunds” below: a full refund if you cancel 48 hours or more before the rental day.
7Weather and safety
- We may change, shorten or cancel an experience because of heavy rain, extreme heat, strikes, road closures or other safety reasons.
- Please follow your guide’s instructions at all times, keep to the group and respect traffic rules.
- Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. On the cycle tour, children aged 8 to 12 ride kids’ cycles and children under 5 travel on a baby seat.
- Tell us beforehand about health conditions, allergies (food experiences) or mobility needs. Please do not join if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. We may refuse participation for safety reasons, without refund.
8Responsibility and release
- Our activities involve normal physical risks: cycling in city traffic, hot kitchens, pottery tools, yoga postures. You take part at your own risk and are responsible for your own health and belongings.
- Sita does not hold insurance that covers guests. Every guest (a parent or guardian for minors) signs a release of responsibility on arrival, before the experience starts. Without it we cannot let you take part, and no refund is due.
- We are not liable for loss, theft or damage of personal belongings, or for events outside our reasonable control.
- You are responsible for damage you cause to equipment (cycles, tools, studio items) through careless use.
- Nothing here removes rights that you cannot lose under Indian consumer law.
9Photos and videos
- We may take photos or videos during experiences for our website and social media. Tell your guide at the start if you prefer not to appear.
10Your personal data
- We use your name, email and phone number only to manage your booking, send your voucher and reminders, and contact you about your experience.
- We do not sell your data. Payments are handled by Razorpay, and bookings are stored securely in our own database.
- To see, correct or delete your data, write to sitapondicherry@gmail.com.
11Our right to refuse
- We may refuse or end participation for unsafe, abusive or disrespectful behaviour, without refund.
12Law and disputes
- These terms follow Indian law, and the courts of Puducherry have jurisdiction. Please contact us first. We will always try to settle a problem fairly and quickly.
Questions about these terms? Ask us on WhatsApp or call +91 99440 16128.