Send home a Diwali gift that sends back stories.

How it works

Four steps. Three are yours; the last one is theirs.

1. 1

   You buy.

   Katha Gift is bought inside the Katha app, through Google Play, into your own family album. You own the album from the first minute; your parent joins it later, when you say so.

2. 2

   You personalize.

   Write a note. Record a voice message of up to 30 seconds — it is waiting for them the first time they open the album. Then pick which set of questions they start with. Where It All Began opens with a real Katha prompt: Tell us about the house you grew up in. What did it smell and sound like?

3. 3

   You send the invite — when you choose.

   Nothing goes out until you send it. The invite is a link from the app; forward it on WhatsApp on Diwali morning, or on the evening of Dhanteras (Friday, November 6), when the first diyas of the week are lit. Katha has no timer and does not need one — you are the one who knows when your mother is sitting down.

4. 4

   They tap, hear you, and start talking.

   Your parent taps the link, installs Katha from Google Play, and the album opens on your note and your voice message. Then one record button and the first question. They answer in the language they think in, and a little while later the story is in the album — in text and in their voice.

For you

What you get

• The album is yours too.

  You bought Katha into your own album, so you are in it from day one. Your mother records over morning chai in Pune; the story is waiting on your phone in New Jersey — audio and transcript — when you wake up.

• You can record too.

  Add your own stories, leave a comment, ask a follow-up. Parents talk more when it is not a monologue.

• Kept, not rented.

  Every story — the audio and the transcript — stays in your album. Katha never auto-deletes a story. Katha Gift covers 12 months of recording; when those end, the stories your family recorded stay yours.

And, later, a printed book. It is not ready yet and not for sale — but this album is where its pages will come from.

Before you buy

Questions you are probably asking

Does my parent need to be technical?

No. If they can send a WhatsApp voice note, they can use Katha: one large record button, one question on the screen at a time. The first time they open the album, your note is on the screen and your voice is one tap away.

Which phones does it work on?

Android, from Google Play. There is no iPhone version yet — if your parent uses an iPhone, Katha is not the right gift this Diwali, and we would rather say so now. You need Android too: Katha Gift is bought inside the Katha app, through Google Play, and the app is where the album lives.

Which languages does it understand?

Twelve: English, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Urdu, Kannada, Odia and Punjabi — for the app and for the transcription. Your parent speaks; the transcript comes back in the same language.

Can I give it on Diwali morning?

Yes. You send the invite whenever you want. Buy and personalize Katha any time before; then on Diwali morning — Sunday, November 8, 2026 — forward the link on WhatsApp, or hand them the phone if you are home. Dhanteras, Friday, November 6, works just as well.

Is there a code my parent has to type in?

No. There is no gift code and no card. You invite your parent from inside the app with the same family invite link anyone uses. They tap it, install Katha from Google Play, and the album opens with your note and your voice waiting.

What if they never record anything?

Some parents start the same day; some need a grandchild to ask. The album stays open either way, and you are in it too — record a memory of theirs you half-remember and ask them to correct it. A parent who will not perform for an app will often answer a child.