RALLYING ROUND: Lal (left) and Meena have played together for the past four years

It's a regular sight at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) grounds every afternoon. Come hail or shine, Pradeep Lal, 51, and his partner Jagdish Meena, 41, are there playing tennis. They hit firm groundstrokes and swiftly anticipate the direction of each others' shots. But it's not all a game for them. The extraordinary thing about their presence on court is that both of them are confined to wheelchairs. Lal and Meena are on a mission to gain recognition for wheelchair tennis in India. Incidentally, it is one of the world's most popular games for the disabled. One day they hope to see the game played at the national level, as it is done in over 70 countries.

And why not? With grit and determination as strong as Lal's everything seems to lie within the realms of the possible. The trophies adorning the shelves at his house echo memories of his promising past. An alumnus of St Columba's School, Delhi, bits, Pilani, and FMs, Delhi, Lal was once "the best in school". He still remembers the day he got admission to Hindu College under the sports quota. "I have a record," Lal told the coach. "No batsman can stand my bowling for more than two overs." His bowling skills stunned everybody at the trials. When the coach wanted to see his certificates, Lal said, "If you want a sportsman I am here but if you want a certificate, I can buy one from the Jama Masjid area." Those days, the energetic lad expected to do great things. But destiny intervened. In 1973, Lal began complaining of numbness in his legs. The surgery he underwent the next year paralysed his legs for ever. Lal was devastated.

As often happens in India, it was faith that came to the rescue. Unbounded belief in the teachings of Mata Nirmala Devi gave him the strength to make a new beginning. "I was like the phoenix who rose from its own ashes," says Lal. He began by joining the Handicapped Welfare Federation and started playing table tennis on his wheelchair. He even participated in a car rally for the disabled. But the turning point came in 1994 when Lal came to know that wheelchair tennis was being introduced at the DLTA grounds by a British woman, Ellen De Lange. The curious Lal and Meena were the only ones to turn up. Lal proved to be so good at tennis that he was chosen to go for a wheelchair coaching camp at Fukuoka, Japan. He also went for the World Team Cup at Melbourne in 1996 and the 1998 Thai Open.

Lal was also lucky to discover a soul-mate in Meena. Most disabled people who came to the DLTA soon lost interest and left. Meena stayed. A college-level kho-kho player, Meena's left leg had to be amputated after a diabetic gangrene attack. He has been Lal's playing partner since 1997. "I want to win a medal for India at the international level," says Meena. The duo have received a lot of encouragement from the DLTA. Says Anil Khanna, president, DLTA: "Lal and Meena are committed players. The DLTA is doing its bit by providing free playing facilities, from balls to coaches." Other organisations have also started chipping in. The YMCA organised an exhibition match between Meena and Lal in Chandigarh in September 2000. Meena and Lal are now planning a similar contest in Jalandhar.

This special form of tennis started with Brad Parks, an American, hitting a shot on court from a wheelchair. The game integrates easily with its able-bodied version since it can be played on any regular tennis court without any modification to rackets or balls. The only difference is that two bounces of the ball are allowed. Lal feels the biggest barrier in the way of wheelchair tennis popularity in India is the lack of equipment. He is trying to initiate a prototype of a special wheelchair which is a little lower than the normal one and facilitates easy mobility. The present ones at DLTA are from Indonesia and cost around Rs 70,000. They are heavy too. The best wheelchairs can cost up to Rs 2.9 lakh.

Away from the tennis courts, both Lal and Meena maintain hectic schedules. Meena is an Indian Railways employee while Lal runs a gas agency and works as a sports coordinator at the Spinal Injuries Centre, Vasant Kunj, Delhi. A lover of the good things in life, Lal loves eating out and driving around in his automatic car. But tennis remains his first love-he is even willing to teach it to anybody ready to learn. "I want young people to come out of their shells and learn this game," he says. Lal calls his racket a magic wand. With his kind of conviction, a day may come when the wand will wield magic for the disabled in India.