Basanti subba from Thingling village of West Sikkim is a full time mother and a weaver at the same time. While taking care of the family has been the top most priority of Basanti, she also made sure she can pursue with her weaving and knitting skills.
Basanti belongs to Limbu community. The Limbu or Yakthung are a Sino-Tibetan indigenous tribe of the Himalayan region of eastern Nepal, Sikkim, and western Bhutan. The original name of the Limbu is Yakthung or Yakthum. Limbu males are called Yakthungba or Yakthumba and Limbu females are called “Yakthumma” or “Yakthungma”. Ancient texts state that “Yakthung” or “Yakthum” is a derivative of Yaksha and some interpret its meaning as the “Yaksha winner”. In the Limbu language it means “heroes of the hills” (Yak – hills, thung or thum – heroes or mighty warriors), which connotates with the ancient Kiratis.
Subba is a title given by the Shah Kings only to Limbu village chiefs. Subba was not an indigenous Yakthung terminology, but now the two terms are almost interchangeable.