Chaitanya Subba obituary: A scholar of indigenous communities

Chaitanya Subba, a scholar of Limbu culture, indigenous rights activist, and development planner, died on May 3. He was 75.

Born in 1946 in Thechambu, Taplejung, Subba devoted most of his adult life to academics and research. 

His father Jagatman Menyangbo Subba was a schoolteacher, and encouraged Subba to read and write from his childhood. He studied at Bhanu Secondary School, which was established by his father, until his early teens, and got his school leaving certificate (SLC) from Dharan in 1963. 

After completing his schooling, Subba enrolled at Inam Campus in his home district of Taplejung for Intermediate of Arts (IA). At the same time, he started teaching at Bhanu Secondary School and later went on to become its headmaster. 

As a young and educated man in his district, Subba was made a Panchayat member of Taplejung in 1967. Subba then went on to get a Master’s degree in Political Science from the Tribhuvan University in 1976.

His academic bent of mind always drove him to scholarly pursuits. Politics was important to him but not as much as academia. 

“He thirsted for knowledge all his life. That was his lifelong passion,” says his wife Sandhya. 

No wonder then that Subba gained prominence more as a scholar than a politician—even though he was a founding member of the then Social Democratic Party.   

Subba, who also served as a member of the National Planning Commission, is mostly known as an expert in Nepal’s indigenous communities.   

 He founded the Adivasi Janajati Development Committee in Nepal. As the committee’s chairperson, he played a significant role in the formation of the National Foundation For Development of Indigenous Nationalities (Adivasi Janajati Utthan Rashtriya Pratisthan).

Subba also published several research papers and books on Nepal’s indigenous communities. He was considered an authority in Limbu culture and religion owing to his vast knowledge in Mundhum (ancient Limbu religious scripture and folklore). In 1991, he published the book ‘Culture and Religion of Limbus’.   

Subba played a pivotal role in inserting a clause on the promotion of the rights of indigenous communities in the 10th plan (2002 to 2007) of the National Planning Commission. Besides his contribution to the indigenous communities, Subba was also a scholar in drug abuse and rehabilitation.  

He operated many drug rehabilitation centers and published several research papers on drug abuse and rehabilitation. In the 1980s, he even worked as the executive director of Drug Abuse Prevention Association of Nepal (DAPAN). In his later years he served as an executive member of the International Organization of Good Templars South and Southeast Asia Regional Council and a UNDP project consultant. 

Subba’s daughter Srijana remembers her father as a profoundly learned man, who spent a lot of time in his study even after his retirement. 

Talking about his other attributes, she speaks of her father’s health consciousness. “He never missed his morning walks, even when it was raining. Also, he was always immaculately dressed,” she says. 

Phoolman Chaudhary, the Asia representative in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, describes Subba as “an eminent academic, leader, and guide who dedicated his life to the development of the indigenous peoples of Nepal”. 

Subba had for long been suffering from diabetes and hypertension. He passed away due to complications from a heart surgery. He is survived by his wife, a daughter, and two sons. 

Born: 14 September 1946, Taplejung

Death: 3 May 2022, Kathmandu