Anand Mahindra backs Zoho’s Arattai; says "downloaded with pride”
Anand Mahindra has publicly endorsed Zoho’s Made-in-India messaging app, Arattai, calling it a matter of “pride.”
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Industrialist Anand Mahindra has thrown his weight behind Zoho’s Arattai, the Made-in-India instant messaging app that’s being hailed as a desi challenger to WhatsApp. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Mahindra Group chairman announced that he had downloaded the app “with pride”, prompting a warm exchange with Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu.
“Downloaded Arattai today… With pride,” wrote Mahindra. To which, Vembu responded, “I was in a meeting in our Tenkasi office with our Arattai engineers… this gives us even more determination.”
Mahindra replied, “We’re cheering for you, @svembu.”
I was in a meeting in our Tenkasi office with our Arattai engineers, working out refinements to the app and a team member showed this tweet.
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) October 4, 2025
Thank you @anandmahindra
this gives us even more determination ???? https://t.co/5MtyhTkRZf
The exchange quickly went viral, symbolising a growing sentiment of support for Indian-built digital platforms under the government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.
Arattai, which means “casual chat” in Tamil, has recently witnessed explosive growth. According to Vembu, the app recorded a 100x jump in traffic within three days, with daily new sign-ups skyrocketing from 3,000 to 3.5 lakh.
The app offers all key features of WhatsApp — text, voice and video calls, photo and file sharing, stories, groups, channels and multi-device support across up to five devices.
