Zoho’s homegrown messaging app Arattai has taken the Indian tech world by storm, propelled by a remarkable 100-fold surge in daily sign-ups and vocal support from leading industrialists and government ministers. In just three days, Arattai’s daily user registrations skyrocketed from 3,000 to an astonishing 350,000, prompting the company to rapidly bolster its server infrastructure to accommodate unparalleled growth.
Initially developed in 2021, Arattai, meaning “chat” in Tamil, remained under the radar until its fortunes shifted dramatically this past week. Endorsements from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and business tycoon Anand Mahindra fuelled the app’s rapid ascent. As of October 2025, Arattai boasts over a million monthly active users, seizing the top spot on India’s app store charts and briefly eclipsing global giants such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
Designed with privacy and India-first principles at its core, Arattai gives users the choice to chat without sharing mobile numbers, offers personal file “Pockets,” advanced group mentions, video meeting tools, and stores all data within India. Unlike its multinational rivals, the platform is free of advertisements and pledges not to monetise user data.
Billionaire industrialist Anand Mahindra has recently joined a host of high-profile supporters backing Zoho’s Arattai messaging app, an Indian-made alternative to WhatsApp. On October 4, 2025, the Mahindra Group chairman shared on X (formerly Twitter) that he had “Downloaded Arattai…with pride.”
This announcement was quickly acknowledged by Zoho’s founder and chief scientist, Sridhar Vembu, who was meeting with his engineering team in Tenkasi when he learned about Mahindra’s tweet. Vembu responded with gratitude, stating Mahindra’s support inspires even greater determination within the team. Mahindra replied, “We’re cheering for you, Sridhar Vembu,” affirming his enthusiastic endorsement of this homegrown technology initiative.
While the meteoric rise has brought technical hiccups, including OTP delays and occasional crashes, Zoho’s founder, Sridhar Vembu, announced emergency infrastructure upgrades to meet the surging demand. With its unique blend of distinctive features, government and business backing, and a powerful Swadeshi narrative, Arattai stands poised to redefine India’s digital communication landscape.
