One needs to understand that both classical and romantic understanding have to exist together! A huge split has occurred in the world because of our misconstruing the entire concept.  When I say world, it not only means the outer world. One also needs to understand the fact that one can’t exist without the other.

Now that you have an idea as to what the two kinds of human understanding are, I would like to delve deeper into the topic. I would like to put forth my thoughts on the subject.

God and abstract ideas are the only entities that defy the laws of human understanding. We associate human beings with their corresponding forms and the first thing that strikes a person when talking about another is his appearance. So that would correspond to romantic understanding. We,  human beings exist such that we give importance first to the romantic side and not the classical one. I don’t think people can deny the fact. What, I can hear you asking, happens to blind people then? Simple. They hear a person’s voice and judge him which again falls under romantic understanding. But human beings must see to that they don’t become slaves to their sense organs. The sense organs, which help boost  romantic understanding, may delude a person and make life miserable. Rather than controlling the organs, man, in the name of intellect, gets controlled by them. A man deluded by the sense organs and in turn, by the romantic form, starts leading a hypocritical life.

Abstract ideas like quality and value, on the other hand are classical. You don’t associate pictures to such ideas. The same can be said of God. (By proclaiming so, I wish to make clear that I am not an atheist or an agnostic) I wouldn’t go to the extent of giving a shape to Him. He’s above all that, in my opinion! The point is, why make God another victim of romantic understanding by associating Him with images?

Is it hypocritical to give importance to romantic forms? No, not all. If the sentence were “Is it hypocritical to give importance to romantic forms alone?”, the answer would be a big yes.  As I had mentioned previously, there should be a right mixture of classical and romantic understanding. Humans at first glance, undoubtedly get attracted by the forms. By this, I don’t mean to say one needs to shun romantic understanding at all, because he/she can’t. That’s the way the mind works.

Let’s take for example, the case of books. Supposing a normal person is made to choose between two books. One, Wuthering heights by Emily Bronte or Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. What do you think the average person would go for? Twilight, undoubtedly. Why do you think comics make it big? Or why do you think a normal person has an aptitude for languages and not for other subjects like Science and Maths? Blame it on romantic understanding! In all these cases, the human mind gets attracted by creativity! One is likely to pick up a fantasy fiction novel when compared to a serious novel! I am speaking about a normal person here. I am likely to pick Bronte or Camus or Balzac or any damned author. (Why do I say damned? These people failed to look at the romantic side of human understanding.) I might as well stop with this example because I were to continue talking about books, you might get bored at some point.

Thousands of years ago, primitive men made the best use of romantic understanding. They associated romantic understanding with religion to make people get interested in God. They created images  and sculptures of Him and created parables so people would get acquainted better with their religion. By stating this, I don’t mean to say such parables are fictitious. They may have been true but I personally think the contribution of primitive men to religion must have a special mention here.

Would I call myself the classical kind or the romantic kind? I can’t say! If I were to say that I fall under the former category, that would sound hypocritical because I happen to be a Homo sapien who’s no different from others. I wouldn’t vouch for the latter too, because then again, your intellect gets controlled by the sense organs that pave the way for romantic understanding. When I say romantic, I mean things like creative pursuits. The main basis of art, poetry and literature is romantic understanding. I am perhaps 80% classical and 20% romantic. I don’t have a clue what makes me say so. It might be perversion. Or I might be 60% classical and 40% romantic. But then wait, how can I rely on my thoughts alone to come to a conclusion? Even if I were to consider myself as an intellectual, wouldn’t the stream of thoughts lead me astray by being transient? Is there another medium with which a person can think clearly without getting digressed? Some medium that helps us hold on to our thoughts? This , in my opinion, is the biggest problem with classical understanding. When you get inundated by thoughts, the intellect gets challenged even more, which ultimately results in more thoughts, more views. It’s a bootstrapping problem. You view a thing in various angles and this only exacerbates matters. One second you are happy with the thought that you think suits the thing best but the next moment, before you even know what’s happening, the thought gets transcended to another. When that thought isn’t satisfying, you move on, coming back to square one in the end. You absolutely have no idea why you thought of the problem in the first place. You start thinking about something and end up finding out something else. Romantic understanding seems much better. But I don’t wish to sacrifice my intellect. Even if classical understanding helps me understand nothing, I will only be too happy to stick to it. Now, what’s the thershold of classical understanding? Fanaticism. Insecurity. The feeling of being lost.. but in what? In oneself, maybe! Just like the way one clings to a religion. I wouldn’t call it insanity. To be insane you need to be sane first. How does one measure sanity? Or rather, what is sanity? What does one do in order to be sane? What do you get as a result of fanatic Classical understanding? Sanity in the insane world. Your intellect won’t tell you if you are sane or insane. How can it when you are lost in yourself? The others can’t, too, because they are too busy worrying about your non-existent romantic thinking that their intellect gets attacked by thoughts of jealousy.  So, insanity and sanity are to be understood the other way round when they are spoken.

According to Robert Pirsig, there are two forms of understanding, as we have been discussing all along. According to my hypothesis, the classical and romantic understanding are themselves divided further;  radical classical and romantic understanding and conservative classical and romantic understanding. Radical classical understanding and radical romantic understanding produce non-conformists and Conservative classical understanding and conservative romantic understanding, conformists. People falling under the category, radical classical and romantic understanding, are fanatics, true to the name. I trust you would have got an idea by now.

Your thoughts on the subject are appreciated! If you have any questions as regards my hypothesis, have your say by commenting! But let’s not get too much radical or conservative!

PS: Fo your convenience,  I have uploaded the article  as a pdf on Scribd. Happy reading!

JANUARY 2009

I wanted to become an internet entrepreneur all right. But what do I do first? How do I begin? I started thinking. My cousin Narayanan and I were talking about the internet industry in general when he asked how I liked the idea of starting a magazine in print. He would help me with the marketing and all that. I thought why not but who had the time? I was a final year engineering student who had no resources nor the experience to start something big. Worse, I didn’t have an exposure to the outside world.  I was just another social media enthusiast who wanted to make it big in the internet world. I wasn’t sure if the idea would out for me. An earlier idea of a group blogging venture had not worked out so I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I was confused. I had big connections on the internet world, yes, but that alone wouldn’t suffice.

The day my cousin told me about the idea, I started thinking like crazy. To put it frankly, I was confused. I had to outweigh the positives and negatives. Coming to a conclusion isn’t an easy task when you are super overwhelmed. I knew I had a lot of contacts online, so why not make the most of it? Why not start a digital magazine instead of a magazine in print? After about thinking a LOT, I cut down my options to two. One, start a digital magazine for technology enthusiasts and two, a digital magazine for writers. The very same day, I mailed my social contacts and some of my folks asking them which would be a better idea. Their responses overwhelmed me. I had sent the mail to about 20-25 people and most of them responded. They made me ask a lot of questions and helped me find the inspiration within. Thanks a million, folks, for the support and encouragement you have showering me with! I wouldn’t be where I am if it weren’t for your consistent feedback and wishes.Well, I had finally made a decision. I was going to start a digital magazine for aspiring writers.  Having made the decision, I started approaching bloggers and aspiring writers the same month asking them if they will be interested to write for the magazine. Goes without saying that I got an awesome response.

FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2009

Frankly speaking, I had none to support me. I am talking as regards real work. Soothing words from people did help me, yes, but I did all the work myself that at point I wanted to back away. This was getting too much. I had violent mood swings. Worse, my final year project was going on. I was not going to ignore my academics and start concentrating on this.  But I wouldn’t let the fire die down no matter what. I worked whenever I had the time.  I had to bring the dream to reality no matter what. I was going to win. There was no doubt about it. I wouldn’t let people talk behind my back.

APRIL 2009

By now, I was sure that the magazine would be released in May, after my exams got over. The pdf version of the magazine was also ready. But who would design it? I only knew to write and edit. Not design. That was not my cup of tea. Whom would I approach? Worse, who would do it for free?  I wasn’t sure if this work out at all. I don’t know when or how I approached Cheth but he immediately agreed to help me. I was floating on cloud nine. Why, I would have been the happiest Homo sapien alive if my happiness scale were tested with a meter.

A particular incident that happened the same month perturbed me to an extent but I kept Nietzsche’s saying, “That which does not destroy me makes me stronger“, in mind.

I booked the domain name and hosted it on my dreamhost account, in the third week of April.

MAY 2009

I had my university exams in the second week of May. Thankfully, my university exams got over by 9th! So, I started working from 10th. I had chosen Joomla as the CMS. But when I started working on it, I found it too difficult to customise. I couldn’t install the theme. Simultaneously Chethan was working on the design. I had given him an idea as to how the layout should look. I was not sure when the magazine would be launched. I nearly lost hope. I couldn’t customise the template I had chosen and experienced technical errors to the nth degree. By the third week, I was determined to launch the magazine on 22nd of the same month. I dabbled my time  trying to customise the template, googling the errors and eating and sleeping at odd hours. Things were exacerbated by the fact that my internet connection didn’t work for 2 days. Life was truly hellish. I was desperate.

Cheth attached the magazine in his mail and it was love at first sight.

I reverted to WordPress when Joomla wouldn’t let me experiment with it. My hunt for a theme that could function as a CMS came to an end when I set my eyes on Oulipo. If I were to say that I loved it, it would be an understatement. I customised the theme and decided to give Issuu a try to give my magazine a complete look. It worked perfectly.

I, Writer, India’s first literary digital magazine for aspiring writers was launched on May 22nd, 2009 at 07:30

What more can I ask for? I, for one, don’t value success in terms of materialistic pursuits. Self-satisfaction matters the most to me.I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who’s been with me all along. I would especially like to thank all my Twitter Peeps for their awe-inspiring support. Thanks a million for everything, Tweeps!

JUNE 2009

The next issue of I, the Writer is getting ready and we have had a fantabulous response so far. Check @ithewriter on Twitter for more updates and don’t forget to subscribe to the official blog.

This time, I looked at the couple before me who were joining hands and having a leisured walk. I snorted, struggling in vain to hide the frustration. I stopped short and closed my eyes when the inner voice told me to die. Clenching my fists, I slumped forward, in total delirium.

“I am not Masochistic”, this was my optimistic voice hissing violently, answering the other vulnerable voice. “I am not going to die nor refrain from the tranquility I am entitled to, no matter what!”.  By now an old man came to my side asking if I was okay. He was taking a casual stroll across the beach, I gathered, only he was in his perfect senses and I was not. I was convinced I was brain-damaged, for, no words escaped my dry throat. My brain was too jammed to function. All I could do was mumble a plain “Yes. Thanks” with a  grave smile.

“Hmm. Okay. You look awful though. Have you brought someone with you?”

I hated his inquisitive nature but couldn’t bring myself to ask him to mind his own business.

“Give me some space oldie, don’t bother me with your questions. Leave me alone”  I was almost successful in mouthing the words, trying to act nonchalant and rude but it was a very bad show. I created a very feeble impression of a ‘tough’ person.

He chuckled, nodding wisely, all the while measuring me with his shrewd eyes. I thought those eyes would miss nothing or was my very being an open dictionary? I didn’t know. I just glared at him. But what would go wrong if I talked to him? The least I wanted now was someone advising me. If this person started unleashing his persuasive powers on me, I might as well make my escape.

“I am going alone. There’s none with me. I came here alone and am going alone. ” I managed to answer at last, surprising myself.

His ear-ear grin angered me. “What’s so funny about that?” I managed to hiss through pursed lips.

“Nothing, My young lady. I am sorry I provoked your anger. So, tell me more about you. You seem to be interesting”

I gave him what authors in their novels usually liked mentioning, a vicious scowl.

“Now now, don’t look at me like that. That frightens me”  He grinned again and this time I could sense compassion soak his words.

” Please,  Whoever you are, leave me alone. I don’t want people telling me what’s right and what is not. If you knew what I have been going through lately, you wouldn’t bother me with your advice. No, I am not suicidal and won’t contemplate doing something lethal to myself. I have just found out what I want to do and where I need to be, to complete my existence. I am going right there and yes, I know where I am going. I am not hallucinating.”

The words were out before I even wanted to utter them. The confession and not-so-complete catharsis  evoked the dry tears that appeared from nowhere. I was in pain, but how could I bother others with my pain? I couldn’t reason. I hated myself for unabashedly telling a stranger, my predicament.

” I am not going to tell you what you need to do. Of what use is your sixth sense when you can’t reason? No, I am not going to try to talk you into doing what you would rather not do. But don’t be a fool by taking decisions on a whim. You’ll only regret them later. Think, but take decisions with your heart. Being emotional is not wrong, as often as it is exhibited the other way round.  Think and then feel. You’ll be surprised that your emotions have led you to a logical decision.”

The intensity of his words hypnotised me. The smooth words sounded perfectly synchronised with my current situation. But still, something was amiss. I knew not what.

The momentary silence gave him another chance to speak but this time, less harsher.

“Child, look here, I am too tired to stand the scorching heat. Why don’t we sit on the bench over there and resume our talking?”

My legs and arms moved voluntarily. I felt like a puppet.

My silence would have perturbed him for he addressed me with laughter in his wise old eyes.  ” Young charming lady, so, why don’t you tell me what your name is so that you can be freed of the embarrassing adjectives that are likely to be used? Also, to free me from my eternal boredom, why don’t you honor me by entertaining me with your story?”

His expression softened and an infectious smile set in.With the next sentence, he nearly achieved in making my expressionless face show some emotion.

“If you would rather I tended to my own business, I would still want to listen to the story” he added with a twinkle in his eyes, his infectious smile still lingering on his solemn countenance. By now, my tears had dried.

I wiped my eyes and opened my mouth, closing it again as a spasm of grief evoked the painful memories.

“I am just being curious. Why did you not listen to my story first and then offer me counsel? Should it not have been the other way round?” I suppressed a smile and asked him as plainly as possible.

“I love working backwards from the solution. It has always worked the best for me. Did it not work out now?”  The same lighthearted grin again, masquerading his concern.

I mumbled something unintelligible not knowing how to start the story my story. I badly needed to talk to someone. It might as well be this magical old man.

Sensing my embarassment, he added quickly in a caressing voice  “Would you like to talk about it?”

I glanced at both my sides looking if there were people near us. Thankfully, the place was isolated. He adjusted his spectacles and smiled his smile.

“I don’t know what makes me do this. I have never burdened other people with my worries. But this time, you asked for it and am giving it to you wholeheartedly” I tried to smile but couldn’t. Every part of my body ached. Momentarily I was distracted by a young girl in the bright blue frock who was struggling to cling to her dad’s hand, evidently afraid of the huge waves . A pang of jealousy hit me as I carelessly bit my lips.

He harrumphed good- naturedly and I laughed a dry laugh, admiring his patience.

I got up from my place, adjusting my long legs so that I could speak without discomfort. The old man slightly inclined himself to my side,  his face impenetrable.
His serious disposition encouraged me to begin my tale of doom.

“To cut a long story short, I am sparing you the details of how I met and married Rahul. Or would you like an elaborate flashback story?”

This time it was I who appeared frivolous. At another time I would have made a perfect raconteur.

He would have sensed that I didn’t need an audience now. He stayed mum without wanting to interrupt the catharsis.

” Rahul and I met 4 years back. I am not so sure how the friendship blossomed into love. Nor do I care about it now”  I sighed and closed my eyes, sinking in melancholy.

“Life was exhilarating then. It used to be so much fun.  I couldn’t have asked for more. But not now. I hate myself for having chosen a person who is in no way perfect for me”  The old memories brought a melange of feelings.

“Don’t be so harsh on yourself, Kid”

I continued, ignoring the last few words.

” When I married, like all teenagers  I thought that life would be a fairy tale.” I paused and spoke the words immediately with an ironical smile ” with a happy ending. Well, it was a fairy tale before I caught Rahul cheating on me” I broke down at this instant, hyperventilating.

” First, I brushed aside any doubts regarding his promiscuity but later when I knew the truth .. ” I couldn’t bring myself to complete the sentence. Tears of anguish and self-pity glided down my already tears-stained cheeks.

I was crying unabashedly in front of a stranger and he looked at me like he would, at a child.

“I am sorry. I don’t usually cry. I don’t really know what happened right now. My life is ruined.”

“And where do you intend to go now that you say your life is ruined ?” The lopsided grin didn’t escape my attention.

“I don’t know” the words slipped out meekly.

“Okay. Did you confront Rahul with the accusation? If yes, how did he react to it? ”

” No I didn’t. I should have but what’s the use anyway? Do you think it will make much of a difference? ” The resigned tone set in.

” I have never seen such a careless woman in my 73 years”  He arched his eyebrows up and looked at me with half-amused eyes.

” Look, It’s your life, Child! You shouldn’t have been indifferent to all his promiscuities”

“Only one. Not promiscuities“  I almost snapped.

“I am sorry I slandered” he chuckled and started speaking again his words falling quickly this time .

” When you knew what he was up to, why didn’t you confront him? Why were you indifferent to your own life? After all you only have one life. Make the most of it. Don’t act foolish by running away from problems. Moreover, it’s your life. Who will take care of the problems if you don’t? If you got chickened out for such a trivial problem, what would you do in the future? Believe me, there are more to come. Life is tough at times but it’s in our hands to weed out the problems and make use of what we have.”

While the monologue addressed did make me think, I wasn’t altogether pleased. The word “trivial” provoked me.  If  his wife had done something like that, what would he have done?  ‘It’s always easy to preach’ I mused.

“Of course, I don’t support what your husband did.” he resumed as though tracing my thought process.

“But why make a big issue of it? Fight, make him plead. Make him understand that he has committed a grave mistake. Forgive him! Why are you making a coward of yourself sinking in self-pity and unwanted despair? Also, your escaping reality is not going to last long. Be practical! If you went away, who’ll guarantee the happiness you had with your spouse? You may marry another man, have a great life. Let’s suppose he does the same thing or is involved in immoral activities. What would you do then? Marry another guy?”  He stopped short, his staunch brown eyes regarding me with mixed emotions.

” Feminists wouldn’t like this idea very much. Well, are you one?” He suppressed a grin.

I did not answer. I didn’t know how I felt like at that instant. It wasn’t delirium. I wouldn’t even call it exultation. It was something different; something  serene. I was no longer confused. I was going to live my life and fight back. I had every right to question him. There might be a great deal of crying and cussing involved, but it was worth it. I was mentally prepared for my tryst with destiny. And that was all that mattered.