4th December 2017
4 December 2017
Musings........
We have all grown up listening to our elders and friends talking about the importance of time and time management, so much so that for students all over, time happens to be their biggest enemy. The run against time- is the new normal in this super fast new globalised world.
On a personal front, time has always troubled me and being hugely unsuccessful in managing time I have mostly been on the wrong side of the bargain especially during exams and mind you I have had to write a few of them.
So when the idea of Seperate Time Zones for India started cropping up, I found myself following the debates closely.
It has been argued that a different time zone would be beneficial for the north-eastern states by allowing them to make daylight savings, thus increasing work efficiency. As north-east follows like the rest of the country, the IST( Indian Standard Time ), it witnesses early sunrises and sunsets.
A time zone is a region of the globe that observes uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries of countries and their subdivisions because it is convenient for areas in close commercial or other communication to follow the same time.
The earth is divided into 360 vertical longitudes and a shift in every longitude gives a time difference of four minutes. Every 15 degree shift ( longitudinal shift ) results in a time difference of one hour.
India is a vast country and there is an actual time difference of 2 hours between the easternmost and westernmost points- Kibithu in Arunachal and Gugariyana in Gujarat.
Arunachal Pradesh and its neighbourhood areas get dark by 4:30 in the evening, thus effecting people's work efficiency especially in government offices. It also adversely impacts the social life of the citizens. My friend Nabam Thakur from Arunachal would vouch for this I'm sure. Nukku as we call him befriended me and my brother in Delhi and we became good buddies.
However, having a seperate time zone also as its disadvantages. Farmers and cattles would be worst hit as they would take the longest time to adjust and change the setting of their body clocks.
Seperate time zones would also cause lack of coordination between different parts of a densely populated country and cause many obstacles in running the railways.
It is interesting to know that many in the north-east still to this date work in accordance to a Seperate chai bagan ( tea garden) time zone, which has benn existent unofficially in those areas alongside Calcutta and the Bombay time zones of India made during the British Raj.
Major developments in the interim period since my last verbal diarrhoea include, an all out effort on the part of the ruling BJP and the main opposition, National Congress to wrest Gujarat. Prime Minister Modiji has come out all guns blazing and in return Rahul Gandhi has come out with a question a day against the ruling government in the state which has caused flutter. Whether this and caste consolidation will benefit the opposition remains to be seen against a powerful ruling dispensation who is using government machinery and of course EVMs. Its interesting to know that in UP Nagarpalika elections, BJP came on top in Mayoral Elections where EVMs were used and not in others which went with conventional ballot paper where others won comprehensively. If there is a connection then I don't hesitate to say our democracy is under threat.
In Kerala, the opposition Congress party and UDF have proved again that they are the biggest political force in the state with the recent culmination of its Kerala Yatra named Padayorukkam. Though its finale was washed out due to Cyclone Okhi in Thiruvananthapuram, the crowds it attracted all over Kerala was overwhelming and timely. The intellectual Kerala public has rejected the divisive and radical- facist politics of the Right, is the message that it resonates. It is just a matter of time before the rest of the country follows.
Cyclone Okhi again proves the under preparedness of our government in the centre and state to deal with natural disaster. The LDF government sat on clear cut warning on an impending disaster and needless to say, many lives were wasted due to government negligence.
In the international arena, an unprecedented military coup saw Zimbabwe overthrow its leader Robert Mugabe and replace him with a younger version of himself in all terms- Emerson Mnangagwa. How effective he will be to uplift Zimbabwe from poverty and corruption remains to be seen.
Donald Trump remains as controversial as he is, and with starting a twitter fight with another head of state- USA seems to be the new laughingstock of the globe.
North Korea tested an ICBM nuclear warhead in another warning to the USA. I guess it's time for a third party to step over and start reconciliation as there is innocent lives at stake. The temper tantrums of few leaders should not make millions suffer.
My experience with buying a Jio sim is worth mentioning. I was asked to give my Aadhar number and my fingerprint. Ambani and his corporation now has all details about me from my birth until now I guess. How safe is that ? I mean after all I am comfortable trusting my government however right leaning it will be, but trusting a private corporation gives me serious doubts.
Food for thought.........
RC
Musings........
We have all grown up listening to our elders and friends talking about the importance of time and time management, so much so that for students all over, time happens to be their biggest enemy. The run against time- is the new normal in this super fast new globalised world.
On a personal front, time has always troubled me and being hugely unsuccessful in managing time I have mostly been on the wrong side of the bargain especially during exams and mind you I have had to write a few of them.
So when the idea of Seperate Time Zones for India started cropping up, I found myself following the debates closely.
It has been argued that a different time zone would be beneficial for the north-eastern states by allowing them to make daylight savings, thus increasing work efficiency. As north-east follows like the rest of the country, the IST( Indian Standard Time ), it witnesses early sunrises and sunsets.
A time zone is a region of the globe that observes uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries of countries and their subdivisions because it is convenient for areas in close commercial or other communication to follow the same time.
The earth is divided into 360 vertical longitudes and a shift in every longitude gives a time difference of four minutes. Every 15 degree shift ( longitudinal shift ) results in a time difference of one hour.
India is a vast country and there is an actual time difference of 2 hours between the easternmost and westernmost points- Kibithu in Arunachal and Gugariyana in Gujarat.
Arunachal Pradesh and its neighbourhood areas get dark by 4:30 in the evening, thus effecting people's work efficiency especially in government offices. It also adversely impacts the social life of the citizens. My friend Nabam Thakur from Arunachal would vouch for this I'm sure. Nukku as we call him befriended me and my brother in Delhi and we became good buddies.
However, having a seperate time zone also as its disadvantages. Farmers and cattles would be worst hit as they would take the longest time to adjust and change the setting of their body clocks.
Seperate time zones would also cause lack of coordination between different parts of a densely populated country and cause many obstacles in running the railways.
It is interesting to know that many in the north-east still to this date work in accordance to a Seperate chai bagan ( tea garden) time zone, which has benn existent unofficially in those areas alongside Calcutta and the Bombay time zones of India made during the British Raj.
Major developments in the interim period since my last verbal diarrhoea include, an all out effort on the part of the ruling BJP and the main opposition, National Congress to wrest Gujarat. Prime Minister Modiji has come out all guns blazing and in return Rahul Gandhi has come out with a question a day against the ruling government in the state which has caused flutter. Whether this and caste consolidation will benefit the opposition remains to be seen against a powerful ruling dispensation who is using government machinery and of course EVMs. Its interesting to know that in UP Nagarpalika elections, BJP came on top in Mayoral Elections where EVMs were used and not in others which went with conventional ballot paper where others won comprehensively. If there is a connection then I don't hesitate to say our democracy is under threat.
In Kerala, the opposition Congress party and UDF have proved again that they are the biggest political force in the state with the recent culmination of its Kerala Yatra named Padayorukkam. Though its finale was washed out due to Cyclone Okhi in Thiruvananthapuram, the crowds it attracted all over Kerala was overwhelming and timely. The intellectual Kerala public has rejected the divisive and radical- facist politics of the Right, is the message that it resonates. It is just a matter of time before the rest of the country follows.
Cyclone Okhi again proves the under preparedness of our government in the centre and state to deal with natural disaster. The LDF government sat on clear cut warning on an impending disaster and needless to say, many lives were wasted due to government negligence.
In the international arena, an unprecedented military coup saw Zimbabwe overthrow its leader Robert Mugabe and replace him with a younger version of himself in all terms- Emerson Mnangagwa. How effective he will be to uplift Zimbabwe from poverty and corruption remains to be seen.
Donald Trump remains as controversial as he is, and with starting a twitter fight with another head of state- USA seems to be the new laughingstock of the globe.
North Korea tested an ICBM nuclear warhead in another warning to the USA. I guess it's time for a third party to step over and start reconciliation as there is innocent lives at stake. The temper tantrums of few leaders should not make millions suffer.
My experience with buying a Jio sim is worth mentioning. I was asked to give my Aadhar number and my fingerprint. Ambani and his corporation now has all details about me from my birth until now I guess. How safe is that ? I mean after all I am comfortable trusting my government however right leaning it will be, but trusting a private corporation gives me serious doubts.
Food for thought.........
RC
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