‘Adopt Swadeshi’: Dharmendra Pradhan Endorses India-Made ‘Arattai’ Messaging App

Last Updated:September 24, 2025, 23:38 IST

Developed by Zoho Corporation, the Arattai messaging app is regarded as a homegrown alternative to Meta’s WhatsApp

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan described Arattai as a “free, easy-to-use, secure, and safe” app that is proudly made in India

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday encouraged people to support Indian-made digital platforms by switching to Arattai, a messaging app developed by Zoho Corporation, which is seen as a homegrown alternative to Meta’s WhatsApp.

In a post shared on social media platform X, Pradhan described Arattai as a “free, easy-to-use, secure, and safe” app that is proudly made in India.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to adopt Swadeshi or locally made products, the minister appealed to people to use India-made apps like Arattai to stay connected with friends and family.

“Guided by Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji’s call to adopt Swadeshi, I appeal to everyone to switch to India-made apps for staying connected with friends and family,” Pradhan wrote.

What Is Arattai Messaging App?

The name Arattai, which means “casual chat” in Tamil, reflects the app’s focus on simple, everyday communication. Users can send text messages, media, and documents, make voice and video calls, create stories and channels, and more. Businesses can also use Arattai to reach wider audiences through its content-sharing features.

Built with privacy in mind, Arattai offers end-to-end encrypted calls to ensure secure communication. According to the developers, the app is part of Zoho’s larger mission to deliver reliable and safe Indian alternatives to global tech products.

What Is Zoho?

Zoho Corporation, the company behind Arattai, was founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas. Headquartered in Chennai, Zoho is known for its wide range of business applications, offering over 55 tools including email, accounting, HR, project management, CRM, and more.

Zoho serves more than 130 million users in over 150 countries. Its global clients include major companies such as Amazon, Netflix, Deloitte, Puma, Toyota, Sony, and L’Oréal.

The company operates under the slogan: “Made in India. Made for the world.”

Swadeshi Push

Earlier in the day, Union IT and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also promoted Zoho’s products during a Union Cabinet briefing. He announced that the presentation was made using Zoho Show, not Microsoft PowerPoint.

“Keeping with the spirit of swadeshi, the presentation I am about to make before you was prepared using Zoho. It was not made on Microsoft Powerpoint, but Zoho,” Vaishnaw said. He added that he has personally started using Zoho software in recent days.

Zoho’s office suite, which includes tools like Zoho Writer, Zoho Sheets, and Zoho Show, is seen as a direct competitor to Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace.

(With inputs from agencies)

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