Homegrown messaging platform Arattai has surpassed 7.5 million downloads across Android and iOS platforms, marking a major milestone in India’s push for technological self-reliance. Backed by Zoho and publicly endorsed by industrialist Anand Mahindra and several Union ministers, the app is fast emerging as a serious indigenous alternative to WhatsApp.

Arattai, which means ‘casual chat’ in Tamil, has seen a dramatic spike in users in recent days. Daily sign-ups jumped from 3,000 to 350,000, with founder Sridhar Vembu noting a 100x increase in traffic within just three days. The total number of registered accounts as of October 3 stood at 7.5 million, according to the company.

Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, added to the growing momentum by publicly declaring that he had downloaded the app “with pride”. Responding to Mahindra's post, Sridhar Vembu thanked him and shared that the message reached the Arattai engineering team in Tenkasi while they were actively working on product refinements. Mahindra later replied, “We’re cheering for you, @svembu”, in a gesture that drew wide attention on social media.

The endorsement came amid a broader wave of support from top government figures. Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, and Ashwini Vaishnaw have all publicly urged citizens to switch to Arattai, calling it “secure”, “easy-to-use”, and “Made in India”.

Arattai offers features comparable to global messaging platforms, including:

  • Text and voice messages
  • Voice and video calls
  • Media and document sharing
  • Groups, channels, and stories
  • Multi-device support (up to five devices)

While the interface is intentionally kept simple, Vembu explained that the app is powered by Zoho’s long-standing messaging and audio-video (AV) framework, which has been refined over 15 years. This infrastructure enables fast, reliable, and secure communication by distributing workload across servers with built-in performance monitoring and fault tolerance.

Vembu, who now leads Zoho’s R&D efforts, encouraged his team to remain grounded, saying, “Allow neither praise nor criticism nor fame to distract you. Resolutely stay the course.”

Industry experts say Arattai’s success reflects a deeper trend towards local digital solutions, especially as India builds capacity in AI, cybersecurity, and sovereign cloud infrastructure.

Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint, said the surge is part of a long-term movement. “India’s digital mission demands self-reliance in critical tech areas. Building on local stacks is essential,” he said.

Faisal Kawoosa, Founder of Techarc, added that public figures endorsing ‘Swadeshi’ software plays a crucial role in building trust and visibility. However, he cautioned that wider adoption — particularly among MSMEs — will depend on cost-effectiveness and government incentives.

Analysts also pointed to a potential response from global tech giants, who may resort to aggressive pricing strategies or leverage large distribution teams to retain market share.

(With PTI inputs)