“Oh, no. I shall come to you. I shall also bring with me a Translation Exercise Book.” So we made an appointment. Soon we were close friends.
Narayan Hemchandra was innocent of grammar. “Horse” was a verb with him and “run” a noun. I remember many such funny instances. But he was not to be baffled by his ignorance. My little knowledge of grammar could make no impression on him. Certainly he never regarded his ignorance of grammar as a matter for shame.
With perfect nonchalance he said: “I have never been to school like you. I have never felt the need of grammar in expressing my thoughts. Well, do you know Bengali? I know it. I have travelled in Bengal. It is I who have given Maharshi Devendranath Tagore’s works to the Gujarati-speaking world. And I wish to translate into Gujarati the treasures of many other languages. And you know I am never literal in my translations. I always content myself with bringing out the spirit. Others, with their better knowledge, may be able to do more in future. But I am quite satisfied with what I have achieved without the help of grammar. I know Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, and now I have begun to know English. What I want is a copious vocabulary. And do you think my ambition ends here? No fear. I want to go to France and learn French. I am told that language has an extensive literature. I shall go to Germany also, if possible, and there learn German.” And thus he would talk on unceasingly. He had a boundless ambition for learning languages and for foreign travel.
“Then you will go to America also?”
“Certainly. How can I return to India without having seen the New World?”
“But where will you find the money?”
“What do I need money for? I am not a fashionable fellow like you. The minimum amount of food and the minimum amount of clothing suffice