Alfaaz, which keeps families close across distance through an elder's own voice on WhatsApp, is given here as a gift for Indian and diaspora families. A child sets it up; their parent or grandparent answers one spoken question at a time on WhatsApp, in Hindi, Indian English, Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, or Punjabi, with no app and no account. Each voice note is kept as original audio, transcript, and story, and printed keepsakes are posted as well: a chapter as a scroll each month, and a hardcover bound once a year on the six-month and yearly plans.
You set it up. They reply on WhatsApp, in their language, at their pace. No app, nothing to learn.
Invite lands in your inbox. Add them, pick their language, confirm the date.
It stays quiet
Nothing reaches them early. The surprise stays whole.
The morning
Today, or on a morning you choose: a hello in their language and the first question.
When should it begin?
A gift that begins on a day stays quiet until that morning. Then it says hello in their language and asks the first question.
A Diwali gift
One storyteller. Four months from Diwali morning, Sunday 8 November.
Set it up before 11 pm India time the evening before, and that evening we email you a lifafa card to forward in the morning, and a reminder to send them your own voice note first.
$51paid once. Four months from Diwali morning. Never renews.
Keepsakes
Patra. A chapter of their story, printed as a scroll and posted to you every month.the scroll
Kitaab. A hardcover book of their stories, printed and bound once a year.hardcover
Dastaan. Their memoir produced as a chaptered audiobook edition, made from the voice every plan already keeps.audiobook
Filmein. Short films cut from their own telling, made to send to the family.story films
If you change your mind within 9 days of Diwali, we refund the full $51.
Setup for Diwali stays open until the end of Sunday 8 November. Set up on Diwali itself, it begins right away. You can choose their birthday instead when you set it up.
You pay and you set it up in three minutes. They never download anything. Their gift is a voice note on WhatsApp, in their language.
What arrives
Nothing ships to them and nothing to set up. The printed chapters come to you.
Patra. A chapter of their story, printed as a scroll and posted to you every month.the scroll
Kitaab. A hardcover book of their stories, printed and bound once a year.hardcover
Dastaan. Their memoir produced as a chaptered audiobook edition, made from the voice every plan already keeps.audiobook
Filmein. Short films cut from their own telling, made to send to the family.story films
No waiting for the book: their voice, quoted highlights, and facts you never knew, delivered to your own WhatsApp.
One question at a time, in her own words.
Not a thing you bought. A lifetime of stories.
1
Zero setup for them
Your parent does not need to register, install, or learn anything new. They only need to be able to receive a WhatsApp message, which they already do every day.
2
In their language
Hindi, Indian English, Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, and Punjabi are live today, with natural Hindi/Hinglish mixing supported. Your elder answers in their own words.
3
Their original voice, included
Each captured story places the original audio recording alongside its transcript and story summary. Your family can hear the voice that told it, not only read the words.
4
And it arrives in the post
Every plan prints one chapter of their story as a scroll and posts it to you each month. The six-month and yearly plans add a hardcover book of their stories, bound once a year, and an audiobook edition made from the voice already kept.
From “yes” to their story in your hands.
1
Choose when it begins
Today with a plan, or on a morning you choose with the gift. Every price and term is written on the board above. New to Alfaaz? Your private invitation arrives by email as soon as checkout is complete.
2
Two minutes of setup, all yours
Add their WhatsApp number, choose their language, and confirm they are happy to be recorded. You approve the introduction before anything reaches them.
3
A warm introduction, in their language
Alfaaz introduces itself as arranged by your family. No app, no account, no new habit. They can reply STOP at any time and every message stops.
4
One question at a time, at their pace
A gentle voice-note question every few days, during their active hours. They answer whenever they feel like it, in their own words.
5
The first story lands
Their words become a chapter in the family archive, with the original voice kept alongside. You listen on your phone, wherever in the world you are.
6
A chapter arrives in the post
Every month one chapter of their story is printed as a scroll and posted to you. On the six-month and yearly plans a hardcover of their stories follows, printed and bound once a year.
The first story, heard an ocean away.
Who this gift is for. And who it isn't.
A memoir only works when it fits the person. So, honestly:
The right gift when
Your parent or grandparent already opens WhatsApp every day, whether they live in India or with you.
They are more comfortable talking than typing, in Hindi, Indian English, Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, or Punjabi.
You want to give meaning: their own stories, in their own voice, and keepsakes printed from them rather than bought off a shelf.
Not the right gift when
An elder who does not use WhatsApp. Voice notes are the whole medium; without WhatsApp there is nothing to reply to.
Families who want a typed, do-it-yourself question book. A prompts-by-email service like StoryWorth fits that wish better.
Memory care. Alfaaz is a memoir service, not a medical or dementia tool, and we will not pretend otherwise.
Before you decide
Who is behind Alfaaz
The founders
Pulkit Mendiratta and Shivli Gupta, building Alfaaz in Amsterdam.
How we handle voices and family data, in plain words: our trust promise.
Questions about gifting
When does the gift reach them?
On the morning you choose. You can set everything up today or any day before, and Alfaaz holds all contact until that morning, when the first message and voice note arrive. The four months of access start that morning too, so the wait costs you nothing. If you choose a plan instead, it starts today.
Which days can the gift begin on?
Their birthday, their anniversary or Diwali. You choose the day when you buy, and you confirm the date when you set it up.
Can one gift cover both parents?
An anniversary gift can: $66 once for both parents, and both begin the same morning, each in their own language. A birthday gift covers one storyteller, so for two birthdays, give twice.
Will they know before the day?
No. Nothing reaches them until that morning. You add them, choose their language, and confirm the date, and then it stays quiet until the day. The surprise is the whole point.
Does my parent need to register or install anything?
No. Your parent does not need to create an account or install an app. You set up the family account, add their WhatsApp number, send them a heads-up if you want, and choose the first topic. They simply receive a WhatsApp voice note and reply when they feel like it.
Can I choose which language Alfaaz speaks to them in?
Yes. During onboarding you set one primary language for the elder. Live choices are Hindi, Indian English, Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, and Punjabi. Hindi/Hinglish code-mixing and family terms are expected.
Can I gift Alfaaz to a grandparent, not just a parent?
Yes. Alfaaz works for any elder in your family. Parents, grandparents, great-aunts and uncles, any elder whose stories matter to you. One family account can hold more than one elder, each with their own language and conversation thread.
What if my parent does not want to continue?
They can stop at any time. Replying STOP to any message stops all messages at once, and simply not replying is always okay: Alfaaz never pressures an elder. Families can also pause future prompts, and already recorded conversations remain in the family archive unless the family asks us to delete them.
Is there anything physical to give, or is it all digital?
Both. The archive lives on a screen, but Alfaaz also posts real objects: every plan prints one chapter of their story as a scroll and sends it to you each month, and the six-month and yearly plans add a hardcover book of their stories, printed and bound once a year, an audiobook edition of the memoir, and short films cut from their own telling. The yearly plan adds an anniversary gift. If you want something in hand on the day itself, the invitation is what you give; the first printed chapter follows in the post.
Is Alfaaz a one-time purchase or a subscription?
Both, and you choose which. A plan is a subscription: it opens with 21 days free, then bills every three, six or twelve months per storyteller, renewing until you cancel. The gift is $51 paid once for four months from the morning you choose, and it never renews. Every term is shown before payment.
What happens after the four months?
Nothing automatic. Four full months of Alfaaz for $51, paid once, and then it stops. No auto-renew and no surprise charge. Near the end we will email you a choice: move onto a subscription, gift again, or stop and keep everything already gathered.
Can I get a refund on the gift?
Yes. If you change your mind within 9 days of the morning it begins, we refund the full price. The clock starts on the morning the gift begins, not on the day you pay, so setting up early never shortens it.
Will our family stories train AI models?
No. Alfaaz does not use your family's voice notes, transcripts, or stories to train AI models, and we do not sell stories for advertising.
