Xaverians across decades and disciplines lost a slice of their campus life on Saturday when Arun da, the ever-smiling man behind the canteen counter, succumbed to a lung infection.

Arun Acharya ran the canteen at St. Xavier's College for close to five decades before retiring in 2007.

He was admitted to a hospital in Uttarpara with a chest infection on Wednesday night. 'I can't believe he is gone,' said nephew Arup. Arun da never married and lived with his nephew and nieces in Uttarpara after retirement.

Father Felix Raj, the principal of the college, remembers Arun da as 'a man who gave himself to the service of the college and of the students for 45 years'.

'He was a wonderful man, an institution by himself.... He came early in the morning and left late in the evening. He exercised his availability to everyone, teachers and students. He showed a lot of concern, especially for students from rural areas,' he said.

For Firdausul Hasan, the honorary secretary of the St. Xavier's College Calcutta Alumni Association, Arun da and his canteen were an intrinsic part of Xavier's. 'Every Xaverian has fond memories of the helpful and kind Arun da, who could make out whether we were hungry or needed a place to chat and sometimes even let us eat for free. We will miss him,' said the 1993 batch alumnus. Hasan, who was the general secretary in 1992, remembers Arun da's canteen being the 'hub of college politics'.

From Sourav Ganguly to Sanjiv Goenka, Arun da's canteen served everyone. And the man behind the counter treated everyone with the same stern affection that made him what he was.

'He gave us tough love. He was a part of the college. He was strict but he had a heart,' recalls another Xaverian, Atri Bhattacharya, the state information and cultural affairs secretary.

Percussionist Bickram Ghosh, too, shared a warm relationship with Arun da. 'He was like a father figure to many students. He was also very patient and had a warm personality. He could chat with anyone. Students would even talk to him about their problems and he would give them advice,' said Bickram.

Allan Ao of Fossils remembers the countless cups of coffee and chilli fish (with an unlikely companion in luchi) at Arunda's canteen. 'He would even give us food on credit if we were short on money and let us eat even when the canteen was closed after lunch break.'

An adviser to the teachers and a guardian to the students, Arun da was always there for anyone who needed help. 'He ensured that the green benches on campus were supplied with treats decade after decade,' said Chandan Roy Chowdhury, a former student of the college.

From saving rosogollas for a student with a sweet tooth to lending a patient ear to anyone who needed it, Arun da will continue to live on in the memories of every Xaverian as the man for whom all Xaverians were the same.