The ping pong magic at work

When the Chennai-based Shakthi Foundation asked Sachin Tendulkar for a video in 2004 to promote the need for ramps in all public places, little did Ramgopal D. realize that it would lead him to a door of opportunity in para-table tennis.

The short film conceived by Mani Ratnam and directed by Deepak Bhojraj has AR Rahman lending music and Sabu Cyril as art director. The film was shot at the Nungambakkam Tennis Club, with a small team of wheelchair users from Laser Soft Infosystems Limited (the company was one of the first in the industry to employ the physically challenged) as supporting actors, including Ramgopal.

Boniface Prabhu, a national para-tennis player, was cast as the lead in the video where he plays against an able-bodied player. I met him during the shoot and that's when I came to know that tournaments are being organized for wheelchair users, Ramgopal recalls.

Ramgopal D. receives the certificate at the National Open Rotary Para Table Tennis Tournament

The simple, naive Ramgopal, who was then in his late twenties, was new in town and faced many rejections from recruiters because he was wheelchair-dependent and companies did not have the infrastructure to welcome people with disabilities.

In all these years, Ramgopal has not let his disability define him. His journey has been inspiring as he made his Paralympic debut in his mid-40s and led a busy career as a senior project manager.

Today, he is a promising para-table tennis player from the city, who is clearly impressive in dealing with challenges on the ping-pong court. In the recently concluded National Open Rotary Para Table Tennis Tournament, he finished third in the Class IV category.

For the first time, the 49-year-old software professional also acted as a judge.

Early days

Ramgopal was like any other healthy child until the age of four, but contracted polio due to wrong medication.

He was a sports enthusiast but had no fame whatsoever and therefore derived his happiness from playing gully cricket and watching matches from the stands.

Joining Laser Soft Infosystems Limited (later acquired by Polarsis) made all the difference in life. Founder Suresh Kamath does not deal with challenged individuals. I'm on the same level and treated just like everyone else, says Ramgopal, who currently works with Patterns Cognitive.

The office had a TT table and Ramgopal sometimes found time to learn the strokes. The turning point came when he was assigned to NABARD for a company project. The company had all kinds of sports facilities for the staff and the employees stayed behind after work to play. That's where my love for sports and work married. I spent more than a year and a half on the project and that was where I actually met TT, he remembers.

Finding Michael Roy, a para TT champion, was another positive. In 2018, Michael introduced me to the Paralympics and in 2018 I made my national debut and came seventh, he says.

Since then, Ramgopal has made it a point to balance his professional commitments and attend as many tournaments as possible.

He says that most table tennis academies have their classes on the first floor and that was an obstacle for him to practice regularly.

The Rams Tennis Academy, where I attended for a short period, would take down the TT table for me and park it in the parking lot so I could practice, says the Valsarvakkam resident.

The ParaTT tournament is getting bigger

More than 220 para table tennis players, both men and women from across India, have registered for the third season of the National Open Rotary Para Table Tennis Tournament organized by the Rotary Club of Madras Chenna Patna RI District 3234 on December 14 at the Nehru Indoor Stadium.

This season of Para TT was a much bigger event, a release said.

Alex Paul Menon, Development Commissioner, MEPZ Special Economic Zone and NS Saravanan, District Governor of RI Dist 3234, were the special guests. Rotary Club of Madras Chenna Patna, led by President Rotarian Karthikeyan and Para TT Event Chairman Debasish Mohanty, ensured that participants were provided with the best facilities including free train tickets with comfortable stay and 100% accessibility, the press release said. Each participant received a cash prize of 1000 and a certificate. The winner and runners-up in each category received cash prizes of 10,000 and 5,000 respectively.

The trophies were presented to the winners, along with cash prizes. Table tennis legend Sharad Kamal presented the prizes.