Someone to say good morning, in her own language.
Aalap is an AI that phones your mother or father at their hour, morning and evening. It chats, plays their prayers and songs, passes on your voice notes, and sends you a short note on WhatsApp each night.
Always an AI.Not a doctor.Not an emergency service.Call 112.
It is an AI, and it tells them so. It works on any phone, with no app. It asks them first, and stops if they say no.
She said it was a good day. The milkman came late again.
She asked for her favourite old song twice.
She heard Riya's voice note and laughed. Her reply: "Tell Riya I sang it better."
She mentioned her knee was a bit stiff, then better. She said you could know.
She'd like you to call on Sunday.
She knows what goes in this note. Anything she asks to keep private stays private.
8:10 pmExample note · not a real family
One companion, many Indian languages.
Aalap speaks to your parent in the language they grew up with, slowly and clearly. We are starting with a small number of languages and adding more. Tell us theirs when you join.
The chai is on. The newspaper is folded to the page she reads first. At half past six the phone rings, and she knows who it is.
The kolam is drawn, the coffee is in the davara. It plays a voice note from her grandson in Singapore, telling her about his football match.
She lit the lamp an hour ago and said her prayer. She tells it the milk was late again, and asks for the song from yesterday.
The words change from home to home. The small question is the same.
Their day was never empty.
It has an order they made themselves, over forty years or more. Aalap does not rearrange any of it. It calls at the hours they pick. If they want the morning call after the prayer, it waits for the prayer. If the serial is on, it calls later.
What it brings is the kind of talk that used to come from voices around them: how did you sleep, what did you cook, is the knee better? Small questions, the kind we ask the people we love.
You still think of them at seven. You just can't always call at seven.
Maybe you are in Bengaluru and they are in Kanpur. Maybe you are on a night shift in Dubai, or asleep in London when their morning starts. There's a meeting that runs late, a school run, a commute. The daily call becomes most days, then some days. It happened slowly.
Aalap is not a substitute for you. It's company between your calls. Your voice is still the one they want to hear, and Aalap helps it reach them on the days you can't ring.
This part is for you.
Nothing starts unless you say yes. It will tell you on every call that it is a computer, not a person. You choose the hours. You choose the songs. You decide what goes to your children and what stays with you.
If you say "not today", it says alright and calls tomorrow. If you say "stop", it stops.
You decide.
What a call sounds like.
A recorded sample call is coming soonOn real calls, Aalap speaks your parent's own language. The tablet line is a reminder only: it never asks whether they have taken it.
Closer to a letter than a report.
Each evening Aalap sends you a short note on WhatsApp, in the language you choose: what they talked about, what made them laugh, and anything they asked to pass on. A health word goes in only when they say you can know.
We'd rather tell you now than have you find out later.
- It is an AI.
- It says so on every call, in their language. It will never pretend to be a person, a relative or a nurse.
- It is company, not medical care.
- It mentions their medicines and appointments at the times you set. It does not check or confirm that they have taken anything. It can't tell whether they are unwell, and it gives no medical advice. Their doctor is still their doctor.
- It is not a monitoring or safety service.
- It calls at their times. Nobody listens live. A small team may later listen to some calls to make the companion better, and only if they have said yes.
- It is not an emergency service.
- If something urgent happens, call 112 or someone nearby. Please keep that number where they can see it. If they mention something worrying on a call, such as a fall or chest pain, it asks them to call 112 and tries to message you and the person you named. It cannot send help itself.
- If they don't answer,
- it tries once more a little later. If they still don't, we'll try to tell you and the person you named, so you can ring them yourself or ask someone nearby. A missed call can just mean they were busy, resting or out. It doesn't tell us anything else.
- It is their choice.
- They agree in their own words before it starts. They can say "not today", ask it to stop, or keep something just between them.
Small things, every day.
It calls at their hour.
Morning and evening, at times they choose, on the phone they already have. A keypad phone works, and no app is needed.
It speaks their language.
Slowly and clearly. It repeats when asked and waits through a pause. We start with a few Indian languages and add more as we learn.
It remembers.
A grandchild's exam, a sister's name, the song they like and the one they don't. Next time, it asks how the exam went.
It keeps their favourite hours company.
Morning prayers from texts that belong to everyone, songs from our own collection, news from home in its own words, proverbs and riddles, and talk about recipes, the garden and the old days.
It carries your voice.
Send a voice note from anywhere. It plays it during the call and records their reply for you. Grandchildren can send them too.
It mentions the times you set.
Medicines and doctor visits, read back clearly. It does not confirm doses.
It nudges them toward family.
"Shall I tell Riya you'd like to talk on Sunday?" It is there to bring calls between you, not to stand in for them.
It greets the days your family keeps.
Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Pongal, Onam, Baisakhi, Durga Puja, their birthday. It never guesses a faith from a name.
Their phone, their day. So they come first.
Ask them first.
Talk to your parent before you sign up. This is their phone and their day.
You set it up.
Their name, what the family calls them, their language, their best hours, and one person nearby we can also tell. Then they tell us what they want.
You join the first call.
You introduce Aalap yourself, so it never sounds like a stranger or a scam call. It says it is a computer and explains what goes into your note.
They decide.
If they like it, the calls begin. If they want something changed, it changes. If they say no, it stops there.
Their words stay theirs.
- They know what you see. On the first call it tells them what goes into your evening note, and each note says so at the bottom.
- Some things stay with them. If they ask it to keep something private, it does.
- Health words only with their yes. Tablets or a stiff knee go into your note only when they say you can know.
- No transcripts are sent to you. You get a short note, not a record of everything they said.
- Delete anytime. They or you can ask us to delete their history.
- No selling, no ads. We do not sell their data or use their calls for advertising.
Made in India.
We are a small team building Aalap for Indian families, at home and abroad. We're starting with a small group of families so we can listen closely, get each language right and fix what we get wrong before we grow.
Good questions.
Will they know it's not a real person?
Yes. It says it is a computer at the start of every call, in their language, and you introduce it on the first call.
What if they don't like talking to a machine?
Then it won't call. They decide on the first call and can stop anytime. Some parents may like the songs and voice notes more than the chat, and that's fine.
What do they hear if they say "not today"?
It says alright and asks if it may call tomorrow. If they say stop, it stops.
Does my parent need a smartphone?
No. It calls any number, including a keypad phone. There's nothing to install.
Which languages?
We are starting with a small number of Indian languages and adding more. Tell us your parent's language when you join, so we know where to start.
Where does it start?
In India first, with a small group of families. Indian families living abroad can join the list too: your parent just needs to live in India.
What if they don't pick up?
It tries once more a little later. If they still don't, we'll try to tell you and the person you named, so you can ring them yourself or ask someone nearby. A missed call can just mean they were busy, resting or out.
Can it tell if they're unwell?
No. It isn't medical care and can't diagnose anything. It only passes on what they say, in their words, when they say you can know. If they mention something worrying, it asks them to call 112 and tries to message you and the person you named.
Does it make sure they take their medicines?
No. It mentions them at the times you set. It does not check or confirm doses.
Is it an emergency service?
No. Please keep 112 and a neighbour's number near their phone.
Who hears their calls?
Nobody listens live. A small team may review some calls later to improve the companion, and only if they agreed.
Can my siblings get the evening note too?
That's planned. Tell us when you join.
What does it cost?
We'll share pricing with the waitlist before anyone is charged.
When does it start?
We'll write to you when we're ready. There's no countdown.
Be one of the first families.
We're opening with a small group of families so we can do this properly. Join the list and we'll write to you when it's your turn. Nothing is charged, and you can leave anytime.