Sukirti Joshi, 60 · Lucknow.“Only this: that I would give this child all the happiness in the world.”
यही कि इसे मैं दुनिया भर की खुशियां दूंगी। जितना भी बन पड़ेगा, जितना भी हो सकेगा सब दूंगी इसे मैं। हर तरह से ख्याल रखूंगी। खूब पढ़ाऊँगी, लिखाऊँगी। बस यही thoughts थे।
Only this: that I would give this child all the happiness in the world. Whatever I could manage, whatever was possible, I would give. I would take care in every way. I would educate this child well. Those were the only thoughts I had.
For her 60th, 70th or 80th birthday, keep the stories only she can tell.
Alfaaz is a gift for a 60th, 70th or 80th birthday: her life stories, told on WhatsApp in her own voice, in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, Punjabi, or Indian English, with no app and no account. You set it up today and pick the day and the hour. Nothing reaches her before then. On the day, you send her a letter, and her first voice note wishes her and asks the first question. Each story is written down in her own words, with her voice beside it. Nothing is paid at setup. After her first story, you choose her plan: First Chapters, $61 once, or The Whole Story, $171 once, which ends in her printed hardcover. Nothing renews.
On her birthday: a letter from you, then a voice note that wishes her and asks her first question.
From $61, or $171 with her printed book. One payment, after her first story.
17 of the 22 elders in our study came back on another day with another story. Read the study
The day, hour by hour
On 14 March, at 08:00 in Pune, she gets a letter from you.
Today
You give her name, her language and her WhatsApp number, then pick the day and the hour: 08:00, or midnight for the wish.
Until the day
Nothing reaches her. You get a letter to send her, in her language, and a card to print if you give it by hand.
On the day, at the hour
You send the letter from your own WhatsApp. At the hour, we remind you by email.
When she says hello
Her first voice note wishes her and asks the first question. Her answer is kept in her own voice, for you to hear that day.
One question at a time, in her own words.
After the day
Not a thing you bought. A lifetime of stories.
On a birthday, everyone asks how old she is. This gift asks what she remembers, and keeps every answer in her own words and her own voice.
1
Her stories, written down
Every story becomes a chapter in her own words, from the very first one, for the whole family to read.
2
Her voice, beside each one
Each chapter keeps the voice note it came from, so your family hears her, not only reads her.
3
Letters to her door
Printed letters of her story are posted to her: two on First Chapters, and one every few weeks on The Whole Story.
4
Her book
The Whole Story ends in her printed hardcover, handcrafted and delivered, with her audiobook in her own voice.
Before you give it
Will she do it?
No app, no account, nothing to learn: only WhatsApp, which her phone already has. One question at a time, by voice, in her language, at her own pace. A reply of STOP ends every message.
12 of the 22 elders in our study had five or more story sessions, and the longest ran 26 sessions over 129 days (March to July 2026). Read the study
Why not just call her?
A call ends, and the story goes with it. Here the questions are the ones nobody thinks to ask, asked with patience, and every answer is kept: her voice, her words written down, and the next question, which follows from what she said.
96% of the 92 conversations scored in our study were rated moving or deeper. Read the study
Before you decide
Who is behind Alfaaz
The founders
Pulkit Mendiratta and Shivli Gupta, building Alfaaz in Amsterdam.
Apne phone ke camera se yeh code scan kijiye. WhatsApp mein "Namaste" likha milega, bas bhej dijiyega.
Priya
“Happy birthday! This is my gift to you.” In her language.
On the day
The card she gets.
A letter from you, in her language, that you send from your own WhatsApp on the day. It ends with one line for the day. Giving it by hand? Print it as a card, with a code to scan from her own phone: the hello goes to Alfaaz, and her first question comes back.
Questions about the gift
What do I pay, and when?
Nothing at setup. After her first story, you choose her plan: First Chapters, $61 once for four months, or The Whole Story, $171 once until her book is done, with her printed hardcover. One payment, and nothing renews. A second parent adds $40 on First Chapters or $110 on The Whole Story, in one shared book.
When does the gift reach her?
On the day and at the hour you pick, on her clock: 08:00 in the morning, or midnight for the wish. Nothing reaches her before then. On the day, you send her a letter from your own WhatsApp, and at the hour we remind you by email. When she says hello, her first voice note wishes her and asks the first question, in her language. If she has not said hello 24 hours after your letter, Alfaaz writes first.
What does she hear on her birthday?
A warm birthday wish in her own language, and one gentle question: the earliest birthday she can remember from childhood, and what that day was like. For a 60th, 70th or 80th, our ranking of milestone birthday gifts sets Alfaaz beside the other options.
How far ahead can I set it up?
Up to a year ahead, or for today. A 60th, 70th or 80th birthday, or a 50th anniversary, is often planned months ahead: set it up now, and nothing reaches her before the day you pick.
Will she know before the day?
No. Nothing reaches her until the day, and the first message is your own letter. The surprise stays whole.
Can one gift cover both parents?
Yes. You set up one parent first, and the other joins on the same plan: $40 more on First Chapters, or $110 more on The Whole Story, with one shared book. Each answers on their own WhatsApp number, in their own language.
Does my parent need to register or install anything?
No. Your parent does not need to create an account or install an app. They only need WhatsApp, which they already open every day. A voice note arrives, and they reply when they feel like it.
Can I choose which language Alfaaz speaks to them in?
Yes. During setup you choose one language for them. Live choices are Hindi, Indian English, Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, and Punjabi. Hindi/Hinglish code-mixing and family terms are expected.
Is it right for my parent?
It fits a parent or grandparent who opens WhatsApp every day and would rather talk than type. It does not fit an elder who does not use WhatsApp, a family that wants a typed question book, or memory care: Alfaaz is a memoir service, not a medical or dementia tool.
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. One family account can hold more than one elder, each with their own language and conversation thread.
What if she does not want to continue?
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 questions, and recorded conversations stay in the family archive unless the family asks us to delete them.
Is there anything physical to give?
On the day, a letter from you, and a card you can print, with a code to scan and say hello. After that, printed letters of her story are posted to her door: two on First Chapters, one every few weeks on The Whole Story, which also ends in her printed hardcover.
Is Alfaaz a subscription?
No. Each plan is one payment, and nothing renews. When the term ends, new conversations stop. Everything already gathered stays yours to read and listen to, for good.
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.
