The lessons at school seemed dull to Nandalal. The question was not whether he liked or disliked a particular subject. He liked mostly what appealed to the eyes. Though he disliked mathematics, later on, when he studied in Calcutta, he did not miss a single class because of the teacher who taught him, Gowrishankar Dey; his personality attracted him. Mr. Dey was trim and tidy. He dressed well. His hair was Grey. He buttoned up his jacket up to his neck. His snow-white dhoti came an inch or two below his knee. He was an image of dignity. It was not mathematics but the teacher that attracted Nandalal.

His mother tongue was Bengali but his medium of instruction was Hindi. Since he had learnt Hindi while quite young, it had become a part of his personality. When he was very happy or very sad he tended to express himself in Hindi and not in Bengali. It was in Hindi that he conversed with his old friends and told stories to his grandchildren.

Unimportant differences never mattered to Nandalal. Teacher and student, high and low - such considerations never occurred to him.