Cn I txt u my novl?

In this text-and-tweet era,140 characters seem to be just enough to send out a message. Author Pinki Virani thought as much and her first novel Deaf Heaven (HarperCollins India,Rs 295) is going to be available on cell phones. Having signed a deal with Reliance Communications,Virani has enjoyed reinventing her work for a completely new medium,the cell phone.

“The novel is 300 pages and has been condensed into 90 text messages for Reliance mobile subscribers. Not only did it require quite a bit of re-casting,but I’ve also had to remove any objectionable matter,” says Virani,who has also written a version for a dramatised read for an audio mobile book,which too shall be released by Reliance Communications. The audio mobile book will be divided into two segments of 20 minutes each and the recording is under way. Although Virani admits that the “drama” of the book will be lost in text messages,for her,it has been an exciting process to watch her novel transform into three distinct entities. “We’re an extremely cell-phone friendly country and I thought one could use multiple technologies to reach a readership that has not been tapped before. It’s a rage in Japan and Korea,so why not give it a shot here?” asks Virani. If it’s shorter,it might be sweeter as well.