Belonging to the pastoral Bhotiya community, Lalita grew up in a family of expert weavers and wool spinners. Her family bartered handwoven, woolen carpets, jackets and shawls in exchange for grains, cereals and other food items grown by the farmers in the area. Their own farms are in the mountains of Musiyari, where they would migrate every summer. There, they would collect native mountain herbs and spices to sell later.