“Bro, just hold on a sec.”
I wait patiently on the other end of the line, and overhear Arvind Arumugam confidently relaying instructions to his office colleagues- “Put the date as 17th, not 16th.”
“It’s cheque clearing day,” he explains to me.
The Vijaya Bank clerk is in office on a Saturday. It’s hard to imagine Arvind ‘Vince’ Arumugam in formal attire, tattoos carefully hidden in the folds of his full sleeve shirt. It’s a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a common duality surrounding basketball players in India. During weekdays (and alternate Saturdays in Arumugam’s instance) they are your typical office goers— but come evenings and weekends, the shirt, trousers and shoes get traded for snazzy kicks, dry fit shorts and reversible, sleeveless jerseys.
***
Born and brought up in rural Mandya district in Karnataka, three hours away from India’s Silicon Valley of Bengaluru, Arumugam has come a long way from the shy, skinny teenager he once was. The now 25-year-old power forward has no sporting lineage to speak of, but took to hoops relatively early. “Basketball was very popular in our school and I used to watch my seniors play every evening. The courts were so crowded that we barely had any place to dribble the ball.”
He learnt the basics of the game from school coach Kumarswamy and soon found himself on the U-13 and U-16 Karnataka state teams. Yet Arumugam was unsure about his future as a baller. “I mostly came off the bench and by 10th standard I started losing interest.”
As he slowly began focusing on studies, two unlikely transformations made him reconsider his priorities. First, a growth spurt in the 12th standard that had him shoot up from 5ft 8in to 6ft 5in within a year. Second, the transfer of firebrand coach Anpur Ravi Prakash to the Department of Youth Empowerment & Sports (DYES) in Mandya.
“He is my Godfather,” Arumugam says simply. “He told me to aim higher, ‘Aim to play for India and then you will make it to the Karnataka team’.”
The hard taskmaster put Arumugam to work, improving his footwork, agility and ball-handling.
In 2008, still only 18, Arumugam debuted in the senior Karnataka team and began believing in his unique abilities. “[Basketball Federation of India & Karnataka State Basketball Association President] Govindaraj supported me a lot. He encourages kids from rural backgrounds to play for Karnataka. He said I was meant for big things.”
After first joining Indian Overseas Bank (IOB), Chennai on a sports quota, Arumugam moved to Vijaya Bank, his “dream club”, in 2012. He then promptly rewarded himself with a tattoo of the Vince Carter-elbow dunk from the legendary 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. “It’s not that I used to watch many NBA games, but Carter stood out for me with his in-game dunks.”
Emulating his idol, Arumugam brought his own range of high-flying moves in the post. He got his first India camp call after the 2010-11 Senior National Championship in Delhi, with then Coach Kenny Natt impressed with his athleticism and repeat jump ability. He couldn’t make the cut though, and got another opportunity under new Coach Scott Flemming. But still adjusting to life outside his small town of Mandya, Arumugam left camp without informing anyone.
After begging Coach Scott for a second chance, Arumugam finally made his long awaited India appearance in the 2015 South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) Qualifiers in Bengaluru. This was followed by the 28th FIBA Asia Championship for Men later that same year. Arumugam had limited minutes, but the experience of battling against Iran’s talismanic ex-NBA centre Hamed Haddadi was an eye-opener.
India finished in the top eight in Asia, a first in twelve years, with Arumugam scoring in double digits on two occasions- against Malaysia and Qatar. Not one to rest easy, the Karnataka star is looking to improve his outside shot and ball handling skills, so crucial for an undersized forward to succeed at the higher level.
He hopes to compete in a Basketball Federation of India backed pro league one day. “It is great to see Indian players [like Satnam Singh, Amjyot Singh & Amritpal Singh] go abroad. They will return to the national side during the Asian Championships. But it will be better still if there is a pro league in India, as it will allow basketball to get a huge local following.”
With his recent engagement to fellow international women’s basketballer Sruthi Menon, Arumugam appears to have achieved that elusive balance between his personal and professional lives.
***
We have been on the phone for over an hour now, and it’s time for Arumugam to return to Dr. Jekyll mode.
“It is a huge deal for someone from a small town to make it in a big city like Bengaluru,” he says in parting, almost to himself.
It’s a rare moment of introspection for Arumugam. With three national player-of-the-tournament awards, he has made his mark among India’s finest talents. Oddly though, as his fame grows, the connection with his Air Canada counterpart refuses to fade away.
“Even now newspapers carry reports calling me ‘Arvind Vince’- my name on Facebook.”
Maybe master and prodigal son will meet someday.
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