Katha

Amma has told the Bombay Diwali story a dozen times. Nobody has written it down.

Katha keeps your parent's stories, in their own words.

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  1. You call on Sundays.
  2. She says she's fine.
  3. There are questions you've never thought to ask.

And the answers live in one place.

  1. The name of the village.
  2. Why they left it.
  3. The song she hummed while cooking.
  4. How Appa really proposed.

Stories don't vanish all at once. They fade a detail at a time — not because no one cares, but because no one asked.

Katha asks.

A warm voice on WhatsApp that listens whenever your parent feels like talking, in their language — and keeps every story they tell.

Here's how it works

The beginning

You set it up in about five minutes.

Her name, her language, when you usually call her, and a few hints to start from, like Amma grew up in Madurai.

Illustrative

You send her a link. When she taps it, Katha introduces itself — honestly, as an AI — and asks if she'd like to talk, in her language. She says yes in her own words. If she doesn't, Katha stays silent.

  • हाँ, ठीक है
  • ஆமா, சரி
  • হ্যাঁ, বলো

Illustrative

The next morning, she presses the mic and starts talking.

It's a voice, not an app. She talks when she feels like it, and Katha always answers.

Illustrative

The days

She talks. Katha remembers.

A week later, Katha picks up a thread she left. Not a quiz, just the next question a good listener would ask.

And before she goes, Katha tells her what it has kept safe.

Illustrative

Her story, her say

Something worth sharing takes shape.

From what she's told Katha, it picks one thing you might not know, in her words, translated into English.

  • “…the river house, near the old bridge…”
  • “I was nine. Or ten?”
  • “seven of us children”
  • “wash your feet first!”
  • “the mango tree by the gate”
  • “Appa's cycle bell”

Did you know Amma could hear Appa's cycle bell long before she saw him?

“From the mango tree by the gate, you could hear Appa's cycle bell long before you saw him.”

On your next call

Where was Appa cycling home from?

Shared with Amma's permission · translated from Tamil

Illustrative

Katha reads it to her first, in her language. No card is sent to you until she says yes. Your family can't change a word. It's her story. It stays hers.

Then it reaches you.

By email and on WhatsApp, a few hours before you usually call. Up to twice a week.

For US numbers, by email only for now.

Illustrative

You call. You ask.

Or reply with a question of your own. Katha will ask her in a coming conversation, and tell her it came from you.

If she'd like to share her answer, it comes back to you the same way — once she's said yes.

The archive

Eight chapters fill in.

  1. Childhood & Home
  2. Family & Ancestors
  3. Education & Coming of Age
  4. Career & Work Life
  5. Love, Marriage & Family Building
  6. Historical Events Witnessed
  7. Hobbies, Passions & Talents
  8. Wisdom & Life Lessons

Years later

Her words. Her stories. Yours to keep.

We're inviting a small number of families to try Katha with us.

Where you live, relative to them

We'll write to you personally. We'll only contact your parent after you both agree.

  • Her stories are stored in India.
  • You, or she, can delete everything, anytime.
  • She can stop whenever she likes.
  • We never use her stories to train AI.
  • She hears every card before you do.
  • She can keep anything just between her and Katha.