It’s a proud moment for any father to see his son emulate him. So, when former India striker Edward Aranha says that he’s both nervous and excited ahead of son Brooklyn’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup (Nov 28 to Dec 10) debut for Canada in Madurai, it’s understandable.
Contrasting styles
Interestingly, there’s a stark contrast between not only the nature of both father and son, but also their hockey abilities. Edward, 55, who excelled in Mumbai hockey circles for Air India (1988 to 1990 and 1992 to 2001) and Mahindra & Mahindra (1990 to 1992), was one of the best off-ball-runners in the game, famous for his short bursts, sublime skills, and sharp voice with which he troubled many defences and umpires alike. Brooklyn, 21, on the other hand, is a silent operator. “I played as a striker and loved scoring goals. Brooklyn though is a midfielder, a playmaker, so he’s into assists or creating goals. By nature, I enjoyed being loud, both on and off the field, while Brooklyn is extremely quiet,” Edward tells mid-day as he sips on some cutting chai at a Bandra cafe on Tuesday.
Former India hockey striker Edward Aranha chats with mid-day at a cafe in Bandra on Monday. Pic/Ashwin Ferro
Edward migrated to Canada in 2001 and is self-employed in Vancouver. One of Team India’s key players in the early 1990s, he scored a crucial brace in the final of the 1997 Chief Minister’s Cup four-nation tournament as India beat South Africa 3-0. The mercurial Dhanraj Pillay netted the third goal. The tournament was a pre-cursor to the prestigious FIH Champions Trophy at the same venue where India went on to finish an impressive fourth. Incidentally, just as Edward played a lot of his domestic hockey in Madurai, which was a mud surface then before graduating to the artificial turf at Chennai, Brooklyn (and Canada) will be playing all their Pool B group matches (against Germany, South Africa and Ireland) in Madurai and will move to Chennai only if they qualify for the knockouts.
‘Dad’s my biggest supporter’
“Our aim is to make it out of the group stage and travel to Chennai with the top teams. I started playing hockey ever since I could walk, thanks to my dad, who first gave me a hockey stick when I was three. He then coached me in my teens at club level [at Surrey Sharks] before I graduated to [Premier Division club Burnaby Lakers]. He’s my biggest supporter. I hope to do well and make him proud,” Brooklyn tells mid-day over the phone from Madurai after a practice match with Belgium.
Edward is eagerly looking forward to the Jr World Cup too. “I’ll be going to watch it, but there’s no pressure on Brooklyn. He needs to give his 100 per cent; the rest is destiny,” says the doting father, who has planned a brief Mumbai sightseeing tour for his boy later. “Brooklyn has come to India after more than a decade. I plan to take him to the Stanislaus School ground, where I learnt the game as a kid, and then to the BHA turf in Churchgate where I won loads of matches and tournaments for Air India. I miss those days,” Edward signs off.