Long(itudinal) Distance Relationship
A 21-year-old boy is peeping outside the window of his train on his way to the capital of the easternmost Indian state, Arunachal Pradesh. He boarded it last night from Guwahati to reach Naharlagun. As the train went farther east with the rising sun, the first of many expression(s) in his mind was “How’s the sun so bright here at just 8 am?”
This was April of 2018 and the boy was me! (easy to guess, eh?)
I remember shouting to my friend “yaar yahan 8 baje hi dopahar ho rakhi hai!”
It was my first time in the North East which meant it was the time to experience what I have read in the books: Variance of Time Zone!
We all read in grade 6 geography that 82.5 degree E passes through Mirzapur in UP is the longitude that determines Indian Standard Time.
This came with a footnote that the sun rises (and sets) an hour prior in the east and an hour later in the west. To help you quantify it, take a look at the sunrise time of Kibithoo (far east), Bhadoi (centre), and Guhar Moti (far west)
(Wanna learn how the concept came into being? Click here! Thank me later, k? :P)
You get the gist of the difference, right?
I had said yes to this statement in the text but when exposed to the situation on the ground I was left flabbergasted!
Long story short, it was my time to see ‘dopahar’ at 8 am and raat at 5 pm. Unsurprisingly, this was the time I wondered “why do we not have two time zones? or maybe 3? (east, central, west)”
Fast forward to December 2021: I heard something about Sh Pradyut Bordoloi in the news. Something he did made it to media which had me charged!
Who’s he and what did he do?
A Member of Parliament (LS) from Nagaon in Assam, he moved a private member’s bill to establish & demarcate 2 separate Time Zones to provide for more practical and inclusive administration in India.
If this interests you too, come along on this journey as I share what I have learnt, experienced and opine on this topic! :)
Before we proceed, here’s a stat:
West — > East India distance is ~3,000 km
I compared it with 3000 km on the USA mainland and below is the visual representation ( why? It has 6 times zones, 4 on the mainland)
Back to Sh Pradyut Bardoloi’s idea. One of the reasons he cited was the essence of the human biological clock (circadian rhythm). Technically, as the sun goes down, the body produces a sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin.
What does this mean?
The sun sets early in the east and late in the west but the office timings are universal across the country. Let us take a small example. Schools are to start at 0800 hours/08:00 am in winter. Our North East saw sunrise 2 hours before school time and West? 20–30 minutes.
What are the implications?
- The health of children experience a negative impact in the long term
- In the morning, people in the west use artificial sources of light to get ready for school, thus increasing energy consumption
- In the evening, people in the northeast use artificial sources of light to go on with their day after it turns dark, thus increasing energy consumption
A 2018 CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (New Delhi) published a paper in favor of 2 time zones claiming that this could save 20mn kWh of electricity consumption. (more on this report later in this text)
random info: Before the concept of GMT came into being, British India had two different time zones- Calcutta (90th meridian east) and Bombay (75th meridian east) [See graphic below]
That apart, by now we know that longitude is the reference of time. Therefore, allow your imagination to think of time zones of countries like Tibet, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Let us compare it with 16 January 0530 hours/ 05:30 am. Any two points on land a few metres away (as shown in the graphic) have a wide range of time differences.
Now going back to the CSIR-NPL paper, remind yourself that it favored two time zones. Where do we draw a line on the ground if it is to be implemented? The paper gives a solution:
Two time zones can be demarcated from each other at the ‘chicken neck’ (Siliguri corridor) which connects NE India to the rest of India. (see graphic)
This proposal was rejected by the Government of India citing sensitive issues involving political and cultural significance. I could think of the following few positives of the proposal of H’nble MP:
- Higher productivity
- Streamlined economy
- Social and cultural space to natives
- Administrative efficiency
- Logistical efficiency
- Better sleep quality -> better health
- Smoother passage for wildlife as institutions close in time for people to move back home avoiding man-wild interaction
Till now, you read the need for different time zones to give the ‘Right of Time’ to the people of North-East India. But why did the government reject the suggestions?
Let us take a look at the possible consequences of the decision that can possibly make the lives easier for 4.5 crore people. As we step into this arena, I want you to recognise the issues of militancy, demands of sovereignty and international influence in the region. (region shares boundary with 4 countries)
The separatist tendencies keep finding new channels which, at times, result in negative implications on the hearts and minds of the masses. We all have heard the instances of discrimination against people of the North East in different cities of India.
In my opinion, a separate time zone will deepen the roots of separatism on one hand and on the other, it will breed the feelings of discrimination and hate against our brethren.
Another issue cited in the CSIR-NPL paper is about the collision of trains due to different time zone. It also present a solution by marking a line on WB-Assam order. However, it can create a virtual divide between the ‘equal’ citizens of India with sever implications on People to People connection(s)
What do we do now? For the time being, follow the proceedings of Lok Sabha as Sh Pradyut Bordoloi’s bill is taken up for discussion. If you have an opinion to share or a comment to make, let’s connect via e-mail. I am at phimaanshu@gmail.com
If you liked this article, I’d urge you to support me in writing more! How? Buy me a book at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/himgem
If you want to understand how International Date Line is distorted to look the way it does today, watch this animated video by Johnny Harris.
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