Malika Handa, a world chess champion, hails from the town of Jalandhar in Punjab. When we got to know about her, we felt inspired and proud. Her success story is nothing less than an inspiration for all of us.
Though she wasn’t able to hear all cheers that were being screamed for her immense success, she was able to understand that they were being proud of her.
Malika Handa – Background
Malika Handa belongs to Jalandhar in Punjab, the daughter of Suresh and Renu Handa. She is a speech and hearing impaired girl who’s a champion in the world of chess. She was not born deaf but lost her ability to speak and hear when she was one year old. Being a deaf Indian professional chess player,
She is the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the International Deaf and Dumb Chess Championship.
Malika Handa was introduced to the game of chess when she was only 11-years-old by her father when he had bought a chessboard home. She quickly gained interest in the game, which helped her to secure a seat in a mainstream college.
Malika Handa – Love for Chess and Struggles
Soon after she had started playing chess, she developed a passion for it and outplayed her peers. She also developed an aptitude for it while playing with her father and cousin brother. The road to success was full of difficulties and hardships.
Malika won the gold medal in the national championship in Madhya Pradesh in 2013 and got the chance to go to Germany. But she couldn’t make it because the Sports Authority of India did not allow her because of some dispute with the international body. She underwent trials in Indore and won first place and got an entry into the international tournament.
Malika Handa is India’s most prodigious chess champion. Though she had secured a place in a regular college with her exceptional talent in chess, she did not receive adequate support and facilities from the government.
Malika Handa’s Hours of Grief
In one interview, she mentioned that she often gets sad as the state government has not helped her enough or acknowledged her efforts. We hope Malika gets what she deserves.
Malika Handa’s Success Story
Malika has won several national and international medals. She also won the National Chess Championship for Deaf held in Mysuru. She bagged the silver medal in the World Deaf Blitz Chess Championship held in Manchester. Malika has also won a silver medal at the Asian Championship in Chess in the year 2017. She has been the National Champion 7 times. Her success story makes us feel immensely proud.
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