Pune: Indian artificial intelligence startup Sarvam AI has granted lifetime access to its AI models to Raghunath AS, a 70-year-old oral cancer survivor who lost his ability to speak following the disease.
The decision came after Raghunath publicly appealed to the company on X, requesting an affordable text-to-speech subscription for people with speech disabilities.
Raghunath, a former media practitioner who has been living with the effects of oral cancer since 2015, approached Sarvam AI on November 5, 2026.
In his appeal, he explained how cancer had taken away his speech and left his wife to communicate on his behalf during interactions with doctors, banks and the outside world.
Highlighting the challenges faced by people with speech disabilities, Raghunath cited an estimate that India has approximately 1.99 million people living with such disabilities.
He emphasised that access to text-to-speech technology should not be treated as a luxury or convenience but as an essential means of communication.
Describing the importance of artificial intelligence-powered speech tools, he wrote that text-to-speech AI is “not a convenience” but “our lost voice restored”.
Raghunath also pointed out that Sarvam AI’s existing per-character pricing structure makes regular use expensive for people who depend on the technology for everyday communication.
He urged the company to introduce an affordable monthly subscription with unlimited usage, particularly for Divyangjan users.
“We are not asking for charity. We are asking for the dignity of speaking for ourselves,” he wrote in his appeal to Sarvam AI.
Sarvam AI CEO Pratyush Kumar Responds to Appeal
The appeal received a response from Sarvam AI co-founder and CEO Pratyush Kumar on the morning of November 6, 2026.
Acknowledging the difficulties associated with character-based pricing for people who rely on AI-powered communication tools, Kumar announced that the company had credited Raghunath’s account with lifetime access to its models.
“We agree that you shouldn’t have to count characters to be empowered by AI. We have credited your account with a lifetime access to our models,” Kumar wrote on X.
The Sarvam AI CEO also invited other individuals who use the company’s technology for accessibility-related requirements to contact the team directly.
Kumar shared the email address empower@sarvam.ai and encouraged people with similar needs to reach out. He added that Sarvam AI is working towards introducing a formal programme to support accessibility requirements.
However, the company did not disclose details about the proposed programme, including its pricing structure, eligibility requirements or expected launch date.
Raghunath Thanks Sarvam AI Team, Offers to Become Voluntary Brand Ambassador
Responding to the announcement later on November 6, Raghunath thanked Pratyush Kumar and the Sarvam AI team for providing him with lifetime access to the company’s AI models.
In his follow-up post, he said the gesture had given him “something far more precious than complimentary access to technology – the possibility of reclaiming my lost voice”.
While expressing gratitude for the individual support, Raghunath reiterated that affordable access to text-to-speech technology should be extended to all people living with speech disabilities.
He also offered to become a “voluntary brand ambassador” for Sarvam AI and help other patients understand and adopt the technology.
As part of this effort, Raghunath said he would demonstrate the AI-powered speech tools to fellow patients in cancer hospitals.
He also expressed his willingness to approach doctors at Tata Memorial Hospital to help more patients explore the use of speech technology.
His proposal aims to make people who have lost their ability to speak aware of technology that could help them communicate independently.
Sarvam AI’s Wider Accessibility Programme Yet to Be Announced
Sarvam AI‘s decision to provide Raghunath with lifetime access has brought attention to the importance of affordable AI-powered accessibility tools for people with speech disabilities.
For individuals who cannot communicate verbally, text-to-speech technology can serve as an important communication aid in everyday situations, including medical consultations, banking interactions and conversations outside their homes.
However, the pricing of such services can become a concern for users who need to access them regularly. Raghunath’s appeal specifically highlighted the difficulty of relying on a per-character pricing model when text-to-speech technology is required throughout the day.
While Sarvam AI has provided lifetime access to Raghunath, the company’s broader accessibility initiative remains at the planning stage.
Pratyush Kumar has indicated that the company is working towards a formal programme and has invited people with accessibility requirements to contact the team at empower@sarvam.ai.
As of November 7, 2026, Sarvam AI has not announced the programme’s launch date, pricing, eligibility criteria or the number of people it intends to support.
For now, the lifetime access granted to Raghunath remains an individual initiative, while the proposed programme could determine how Sarvam AI extends similar support to other people with speech disabilities.
