Beep! Beep! You have received an SMS novel

Writer Pinki Virani tells FYI about Deaf Heaven, India's first literary cell novel and Audio Mobile Book

Beep! Beep! You have received an SMS novel

Writeru00a0Pinki Viraniu00a0tellsu00a0FYI about Deaf Heaven, India's first literary cell novel and Audio Mobile Book

After writing three intense non-fiction titles on topics ranging from sexual abuse among children to the fragile social fabric of Mumbai, journalist-turned-author Pinki Virani is back with her first novel, Deaf Heaven. Virani, who won the National Award for her book Bitter Chocolate, chose to interweave India's post-independence history with stories of people from across the nation. Deaf Heaven is India's first English literary cell novel and adult audio mobile book, and will be available to readers on their mobiles through 90 SMSes (3 SMSes per day) over one month at the price of Rs 30. Otherwise, they can dial a number to hear the audio version that costs an initial Rs 30, and Re 1 for every consecutive minute for two 20-minute modules.

Why did you opt for multiple mediums?
Japanese and Korean authors have used cell phones to tell their stories. When I was writing the final draft of Deaf Heaven, I decided to explore the option. Coincidentally, Reliance Communications was looking to diversify their services, and we tied up.

Making the alternate versions was a unique challenge and took time to get used to. Three hundred pages had to be accommodated in 90 SMSes, through snappy, simple sentences. SMS characters lack the depth you usually find in conventional novels. Nothing can really replace a book.

What's the book about?
After Bitter Chocolate was released, I was invited to speak at schools and interact with parents. I realised that being happy is the last priority for Indians and it's a right they don't even acknowledge. They are burdened with barriers of caste, language, religion and terrorism. They forget to be happy. Deaf Heaven is about how Indians sit and pray to Gods in heaven for deliverance and solutions to man-made problems and then blame the Gods for turning a deaf ear. It encompasses a pan-India experience, so, you will find voices from all over the country in this book. It presents the oral history of modern India, focusing on the problems and giving some solutions too.

You have brought in the ancient concept of the Sutradhar (storyteller) in your book
Although this book falls under English fiction, I brought in an Indian storyteller called Saraswati. The novel begins when she dies at the start of a long weekend. Her body lies undiscovered in the library where she works, till the following week. In the meantime, her soul roams, meeting people and narrating their stories. The characters are all related to her by six degrees of
separation.

What next?
My next book is titled, Bloody Hell. It can be read as a standalone, or viewed as a continuation to Deaf Heaven. One thing is for sure there won't be as many characters as in Deaf Heaven.u00a0

Deaf Heaven is available at bookstores for Rs 295

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