Timi Culture: Why everyone at Karkhana uses “Timi”?

Don’t we feel sometimes that we, as Nepali could entitle everyone with the same pronoun? We know you might be thinking, “Yes English language does have that convenience, or say the similar homage of respect”, but what if the Nepali language had the same convention?

For context, the Nepali language consists of pronouns varying upon respect. “Hajur, Tapai” tops the tier while “Timi” is for friends, and “Ta” stands at the bottom of the table. We might remember our parents saying, “Afu bhanda thulo lai hajur,tapai bhannu parcha” translating to “You should use Hajur, tapai when calling people older than you.”

To some extent, this culture is indeed respectful, but it sets a boundary for the individuals using these pronouns. One core culture that we have in Karkhana is the culture of Fluid Hierarchy; the system isn’t centralized, nor is the allocation of tasks. The team structure and hierarchy can change depending on the project, and on some projects, a junior team member may lead with senior members as subordinates. Decision-making is based on open discussion and all team members have a safe space to voice their opinions without fear of consequences.Given that, there are people with significant age differences, that obliges them to call each other with the common narrative of pronouns.

At Karkhana, all your team members – regardless of their age, experience, or any other factor, are addressed as ‘timi’. The ‘timi’ culture tears down the walls between our team members and creates an equal ground for more honest communication. We believe that creating this intimacy improves collaboration, allows for fluid hierarchies, and permits honest feedback.
While the wall may not be torn down in a single try, we try our best to make the culture go along. Therefore, anyone who calls someone “Hajur, tapai” is made to pay NRS.10/- fine, and that somehow makes them a bit alert.