Arattai: The Indian messaging app that wants to take on WhatsApp

Arattai is seeing a surge in popularity amid a push from Narendra Modi's government to boost self-reliance.

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Over the past couple of weeks, Arattai, developed by Indian tech company Zoho, has become a viral sensation in the country. The company says it saw seven million downloads in "seven days last week", without specifying the dates. According to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, Arattai's downloads were less than 10,000 in August.

Arattai, which means banter in the Tamil language, had a soft launch in 2021, but not many had heard of it. The sudden surge in its popularity is being linked to the federal government's push for self-reliance as India deals with the impact of steep US trade tariffs on its goods.

It's a message that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers have repeated over the past few weeks - make in India and spend in India.

Federal minister Dharmendra Pradhan said as much when he posted about Arattai on X a fortnight ago urging people to use "India-made apps [to stay] connected". Since then, several other ministers and business leaders have also posted about Arattai.