Zoho’s new messaging platform, Arattai, recorded a sharp increase in downloads in September 2025, but the Tamil name chosen for the service prompted a renewed discussion on language identity in India.
Arattai—meaning “banter” in Tamil—was promoted as a domestic alternative to WhatsApp. From a base of 3,000 users, the app grew to more than 3,50,000 downloads within three days, topping charts on app stores and, in some categories, overtaking WhatsApp. It offers end-to-end encryption, group calling, and support for over 20 Indian and international languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and Arabic.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal also endorsed the platform, encouraging users to switch to what he described as a “swadeshi” service.
Despite the surge, debate centred on the app’s Tamil name. Several people on Reddit argued that the name is not easy to pronounce. "Rather name it something which is easy to pronounce for a North Indian. Rather than mispronouncing it," a user wrote on the app.
A thread described the title as “not a catchy name”, and several social media users suggested rebranding for wider adoption in the Hindi-speaking regions where WhatsApp and Telegram remain dominant.
Entrepreneur and academic Vivek Wadhwa remarked on X: “Just tried India’s WhatsApp killer: Arattai. Already matches WhatsApp in look, feel, and usability. Sridhar Vembu says it’s still alpha and improving fast. Can’t wait for a spyware-free product! My old friend is running engineering himself and asked for feedback. Mine: rename it to something the world can actually spell.”
Others defended Zoho’s decision. One user on X observed: “Seeing so many urging the org to change the name. But why? When we can pronounce tough Chinese names like Xiaomi, Huawei etc.” Another post read: “Zoho is a PVT company, free to name its apps as it wishes. The Union Govt names schemes in Hindi, people from the South not only dislike it.” An Instagram reel also asked: “Why this Tamil hate? Arattai is not that hard to pronounce.”
The discussion revived earlier disputes around Hindi promotion in Tamil Nadu. In February 2025, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu had urged engineers and entrepreneurs from the state to gain proficiency in Hindi, calling the absence of such skills a “serious handicap” in business. He argued that Tamil Nadu’s rural employment depended on serving clients in Mumbai, Delhi and Gujarat, adding: “Ignore the politics, let us learn the language!” Vembu also revealed that he had been studying Hindi himself and was able to follow around 20 per cent of spoken conversations.
The comments drew sharp political response. DMK MP MM Abdulla criticised the suggestion, remarking: “Congratulations on Zoho’s Saudi Arabia expansion without learning Arabic. Why are you insisting that Tamils must learn Hindi? If Zoho requires its engineers to know Hindi or Arabic, why can’t you train them like every other major company does?”
The row underscored how language remains a divisive subject in Tamil Nadu. The state continues to resist the “three-language formula” under the National Education Policy, insisting on a two-language system of Tamil and English. The opposition to Hindi dates back to the anti-Hindi agitations of 1965, when mandatory Hindi triggered violent clashes and deaths.
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