India’s push for Atmanirbharta is no longer confined to physical goods or traditional crafts. The self-reliance movement is now expanding into the digital space, with one of its newest symbols being Arattai, a homegrown messaging app rapidly gaining popularity.

In a recent post on X, Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal announced plans to switch all messaging communications to the Swadeshi app.

“Nothing beats the feeling of using a #Swadeshi product. So proud to be on @Arattai, a #MadeInIndia messaging platform that brings India closer. My team and I are on board and are looking forward to also connecting with you here,” Goyal wrote.

Earlier last week, his colleague, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, had lauded the app for its simple interface.

“Arattai instant messaging app developed by @Zoho is free, easy-to-use, secure, safe and ‘Made in India’. 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 in a post on X.

Union electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had also revealed that the government is switching to a range of Zoho Corporation’s offerings as part of its push to promote Swadeshi products.

What is Arattai? Does it challenge WhatsApp?

Arattai is a messaging platform developed by Zoho as a homegrown alternative to global apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

The word Arattai means “casual chat” in Tamil, reflecting its focus on simple, everyday communication.

The app supports direct and group messaging, voice notes, media sharing, stories and channels, along with voice and video calls that already use end-to-end encryption.

Support for encrypted messaging is still being rolled out. It is available across devices, including mobile, desktop and even Android TV, positioning itself as a multi-platform communication tool.

One of its strongest selling points is Zoho’s stance on privacy, with the company asserting that it does not monetise user data, in contrast to many global competitors that have historically relied on advertising-driven models.

Following the government’s Swadeshi push, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu revealed that daily sign-ups jumped from a few thousand to several lakh, pushing the company to rapidly expand server capacity, optimise infrastructure, and fast-track bug fixes.

While the sudden growth has put pressure on the system, it has also provided a real-world stress test of Zoho’s capabilities and ambition in the consumer internet space.