Indian Standard Time

Two-Timing
That's what IST was supposed to be. As if there aren't enough jokes on the 'timelessness' of Indians and Indian Standard Time already, there would have been confusion too. With India contemplating the creation of two time zones, we would join the ranks of the multi-zone countries like the US and Russia. The US has four time zones and Russia has eight.

It does make sense to have two time zones in a country that extends 2000 kilometres from east to west. After all, you want people to rise and shine when the sun is up and not when it is still dark. Subir Gokarn, Chief Economist, National Council for Applied Economic Research, seems to think that "the quality of life in the east and north east will improve". But will habitual late comers have a ready-made excuse for coming late?

Presently, IST is the local time of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh. However, if the government effects a change, the local time of Bhopal will be Indian Western Time and that of Kolkata will be Indian Eastern Time. So when the clock strikes 12 noon in Bhopal, it will be 1pm in Kolkata.

The next poser would then be which states would fall under which zones. But until then, its IST for all.

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