Day Light Saving In India What Is It?

How is it possible:
India is positioned on the world map very strategically where Tropic of Cancer passes through it. Hence it is niether too close nor too far from the equator. The length of the day varies from 11.5 hours to 13 hours through the year in the southern city of Chennai.In Srinagar, it varies from 10.5 hours to 14 hours. Clearly,
all of India has plenty of oppurtunity to make use of the extra day light during summer.Capital of Nagaland Kohima has a peculiar problem.Every summer Kohima sees the sun rising at 4 a.m. Why Kohima. Even a strategic metropolitan city like Kolkata( You can count on me on this. I have lived here for 18 years ) has a sunrise as early as 5:30 during summer, whereas the first person to reach office is at 9:00 pm. Hence it is absolutely possible to have Day light Saving implemented in India.

Now let us see if it is possible to have two different time zones in India. Unlike DST, which has to do with latitudes, timezones are determined by longitudes. The earth is divided into 360 longitudes. There are 24 × 60 = 1440 minutes in a day.This leads to a simple calculation of the earth’s speed of rotation, which is 1440/360 = 4 minutes per
longitude.The time difference between any two points on earth is four times the number of longitudes separating them.India is large geographically. Obviously, since it would be impractical to have a separate timezone for each longitude. For convenience, the world is split up into timezones of half hour or one hour increments.
For the purpose of discussion, we will consider Calcutta and Mumbai. Calcutta is on the 88 E longitude, whereas Mumbai is on the 72 E longitude. They are separated by 16 longitudes
or 64 minutes. Using the easternmost and western-most points, the difference is roughly two hours. Hence we can also have Time Zones.

So I hope now we are convinced that it can be done. Now let us know why it should be done or why it shouldn’t be done.

Positives of having different Time Zones and implementing Day Light Saving in India:

1. Having two separate time zones will decouple the peak times in different parts of India and even allow for the possibility of
transferring power between the states.This means that if east India switches on its lights an hour before the west, it will also switch them off
earlier. Then, as east India goes off-peak, its unused power can be transferred to the west via a national grid. This
reduces the strain on grids in the western states, which have twice the population of the east. Simply put, this means
fewer power cuts.

2. Implementing DST during summers will ensure that valuable daylight hours would be used productively.Starting a day earlier will mean the day will end early too.

3. Reduced crime rate: This is how it works.Most petty criminals operate under cover of darkness, and do so in the evenings rather than early mornings. More daylight in the evenings = less cover for crime. How effective it will be for India this question can only be answered post implementation.

Negatives of having different Time Zones and implementing Day Light Saving in India:

1. Costs of a new IST will be borne by passenger travel; trains and buses locally, and airlines globally. Consumer electronics that cannot accommodate the change of timezone will have to be discarded. Software maintenance will have to account
for this change in time. Financial institutions will have to coordinate their Eastern branches with the Western. The cost is borne by all the citizens of India, everyone we communicate with, and everyone
who travels to India. The effects of a new IST will be felt worldwide.

2.A billion people need to readjust their lives, a lot of whom are yet to be educated. Will this create a further divide between the educated and those not
fortunate enough to be educated. The less fortunate ones will bear the grudge of this change failing to adapt to this sudden change.

3. Having a single time zone gives India the advantage of efficient off shoring for companies in US and Europe. They can outsource to India without even considering the geographical location of where there project is being implemented.
Whether the work is being done from Kolkata, Mumbai or Bangalore they need not worry before setting up a meeting.Creating different time zones will result in further confusion of already wide diversity of India among foreigners

4.Most of North-East feels geographically, politically and socially disconnected already. No longer being on the same time as Mumbai and Delhi will make matters worse.



So is this the time to say "Spring forward, fall back" ...


Some more facts:
The idea of DST was conceived by William Willett.
In India it was implemented in 1883 by British Government for a very short duration And again during the time of WW1. But was called off as during the period DST or even time hardly had any significance on Indian people.
WHAT IS YOUR CONTRIBUTION HERE ON THIS SUBJECT..sunkan

Dear Sunkan Ma'am,

You have brought up this topic at a most opportune moment!

It struck me that the time difference between New Delhi and Islamabad is around 30 minutes or so. If that is the case, the time zones of Mumbai and our North East would definitely be different!

You are absolutely right that the Eastern cities experience daybreak earlier than the rest of India does - I witnessed this myself when I visited Sikkim two years ago, as the Sun would set by 4:30 p.m!

Even though the pros and cons of implementing this system across India are spot-on, I feel that the rural population may have some difficulty comprehending the change! And therefore, it might take several years to fully follow the system..

I think Daylight Savings time is a totally man-made idea that ostensibly saves electricity by requiring people to start their days earlier. I am yet unable to understand how it saves power, though..

Thanks for all that information - I didn't know that the British had actually implemented this system first...

Regards,

Sowmya