Dr. O. C. Handa is an archaeologist at heart. He loves to study and research about ancient sites and the peoples.

Dr. O. C. Handa Originally hails from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. But now he is settled in Shimla.

Talking about his childhood, O. C. Handa says that he was born into a middle-class family. His mother passed away when he was very young. He was raised and taken care of by his foster mother and father. Formative years of his childhood were spent in a remote area as his father was posted there. Later he was brought to Mandi city. He did his schooling in Mandi itself. As a kid, he was very fond of writing and painting. He still possesses a good collection of his paintings. After completing his matriculation, he did a diploma in Civil Engineering and Draughtsman.

O. C. Handa started his professional career as a draughtsman in a small town by the name Nahan in Himachal Pradesh. OC Handa wanted to continue his formal education, but circumstances were such that he could not study further. Though he continued writing and released his first book in 1960. In 1972 he completed his M.A. in History from Mysore University through open university exams. Upon completion of his M.A., he was suggested to pursue a PhD. He did his PhD in Buddhist Archaeology from Meerut University. He was also awarded for his PhD thesis. It encouraged him to broaden his horizons and he completed his Doctor of Letters.

O. C. Handa travelled from Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh and has covered the entire Himalayan region. To date he has penned down more than thirty six books. He also worked as a fellow at Indian Institute of Advanced Studies in Shimla. Meanwhile, he got a job offer to work as Deputy Director of Archaeology in the language, art, and culture department. He worked there for a substantial period of time.

Now O. C. Handa is a retired person and he is continuing his exploration. He is actively writing, meeting new people and creating awareness among people about our culture and heritage especially of the Himalayan region. He also stayed with the tribal people in Arunachal Pradesh and Kutch to study about their culture and lives. He even wrote two books on them named Domestic Architecture of Indigenous Communities and The Color of Earth.

O. C. Handa doesn’t consider any one person as his role model. He considers the common people who he lived with and studied about as his role models.

O. C. Handa highlights that very little has been done to study about the ancient people, their culture and to promote Archaeology. He says that we still refer to or build on the work done by the British.

If O. C. Handa could go back in time, he would want to go to the primitive times and experience that period.

O. C. Handa gives his piece of advice, he says that “Work is tiring, your hobby never is. Make your work your hobby and you will never be tired.”