Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 6 (IANS) Terumo Penpol -- the country's largest manufacturer of blood bags -- has come out to support an innovative project to turn Kerala into a tennis nursery by promoting the sport among school kids.

For the past two years, 40 school children who hail from the poorest of the poor community are being trained at a tennis coaching camp at the state-owned Lower Primary School at Peyad near the factory complex.

"We began this programme in four lower primary schools here. We were amazed to see that through this programme we could increase the school enrolment," Terumo Penpol managing director C. Balagopal told reporters here Tuesday.

"Now, along with the Kerala Tennis Association we will launch the Mini Tennis Programme in all districts," he added.

Through this unique coaching programme, the company will identify 50 children in the age group five-seven years from five schools in each of the 14 districts of the state where this programme will be launched.

"Tennis for some reason has been identified as the rich man's game and through our successful initiative at the Lower Primary School, Peyad, that myth has been proved wrong," Balagopal said.

"We have now got full support from the state Sports and Youth Affairs Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar, who has promised all help for this programme," said Kerala Tennis Association president Jacob C. Kallivayalil.

To kickstart the programme, the Second All Kerala Mini Tennis Tournament here will be held Sep 30.

"While the normal tennis court is 78 feet X 36 feet, four mini tennis courts can be set up in one normal tennis court," said acclaimed tennis coach M.R. Ramesh, the live wire in training kids in mini-tennis.

"A five-year-old can learn to play forehand and backhand strokes in an hour's practice and once the kid becomes 10 years he can start playing in a normal size tennis court," Ramesh said.