India, Aug. 2 -- This was always going to be a difficult Commonwealth Games for India. Maintaining the 50-medal benchmark, a streak the nation had carried into every edition since the turn of the century, looked improbable in Glasgow because of the significantly reduced sports programme.

The weightlifters ignited India's campaign with a flurry of medals and Games records. The boxers then stole the spotlight, delivering the greatest boxing campaign by any contingent in Commonwealth Games history with seven golds and three silvers.

Yet, the story of India's Glasgow campaign cannot be told without its para athletes.

They did far more than win medals. They shattered ceilings, eclipsed every benchmark set before them and transformed what wa...