Handa grabbed the spotlight when she became the first Indian girl to win a gold medal in the International Deaf and Dumb Chess Championship held in Mongolia in 2015. She grew up in small-town Jalandhar, Punjab, and is suffering from a 90 percent hearing disability. She earned a seat in a regular college due to her expertise in chess even though was only introduced to the game of chess in 2010. However, she quickly adapted it and didn't let her disability define her career. A four-time gold medalist of the National Chess Championship for the Deaf, Handa has also won laurels after clinching a silver medal in the International Chess Committee of the Deaf (ICCD) worldwide World Deaf Blitz Chess Championship held in Manchester. She was also a part of the able-bodied players' group in the 43rd World Chess FIDE Olympiad, which was held in Georgia.