How a father’s attempt to help with Kannada homework led to a keyboard app for 21 Indian languages

A father trying to help his son complete Kannada homework may not sound like the beginning of a technology story. But for Bengaluru-based developer Krishna Permi, that everyday challenge eventually led to the creation of Akshar, a free keyboard app that supports 21 Indian languages and runs entirely offline.

The app, available on iPhones and iPads, allows users to type phonetically in English and convert text into Indian scripts. Unlike many transliteration tools, Akshar processes everything directly on the device rather than sending user inputs to external servers.

The idea emerged when Permi was helping his son practise Kannada, a language he had grown up reading and writing in northern Karnataka.

“I wanted to help my son with his Kannada homework, but I realised typing in Kannada on my phone was harder than it should have been,” Permi told.

As he searched for solutions, Permi relied on existing transliteration tools to prepare Kannada notes and exercises. But he soon became concerned about privacy.

“I wasn’t comfortable with text being sent to a server every time someone typed. A keyboard sees everything you write, so privacy became a key requirement,” he said.

Building Akshar

His search for an offline alternative led him to AI4Bharat, the Indian-language AI initiative incubated at IIT Madras. One of its open-source projects, IndicXlit, offered a transliteration model that converts English phonetic input into multiple Indian scripts.

Permi adapted the technology into a keyboard app, but integrating the model into Apple’s keyboard environment posed a challenge due to strict memory constraints.

“The biggest challenge was fitting the model within Apple’s memory limits for keyboards,” he said. “We had to shrink the model majorly while keeping the typing experience smooth.”

The final product works entirely on-device, allowing users to type without an internet connection while keeping their data private. Because keyboards handle sensitive information such as messages, passwords and financial details, local processing can offer an added layer of security.

Akshar currently supports 21 Indian languages, including Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, and Marathi, as well as Bodo, Dogri, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Manipuri, Sanskrit, and Sindhi.

“Many Indian languages still don’t receive the same level of attention as larger languages. I wanted to build something that worked for everyone,” Permi said.

The launch comes as tech companies increasingly focus on Indian-language computing, driven by the growth of regional-language internet users. Yet support for several smaller languages remains limited, creating opportunities for niche products.

Since launching, Akshar has attracted users in India and abroad, including business owners and members of the Indian diaspora seeking easier ways to communicate in their native languages.

“I’ve heard from people across India and even from Indians living abroad who wanted an easier way to communicate in their native language,” he said.

The app is currently free to use and, because processing happens on users’ devices, does not require expensive cloud infrastructure. Permi is also exploring the possibility of launching an Android version in the future.

For now, what began as a father’s effort to make Kannada homework easier has evolved into a tool to make digital communication in Indian languages more accessible and private.