NORTHEAST TIME ZONE: AN UNAVOIDABLE REALITY

In Hindi movies, there is a common dialogue that roughly translates to "the more you push me down, the stronger I will rise..." This is synonymous with the northeast and its demand for a separate time zone

-  Ankur Sarma

Every time we bat for a separate time zone, the ones sitting in Delhi reject it straight away.

"One nation, one time" is what 

these leaders in Delhi say. Well, one nation doesn't mean having "one everything, certainly not a single time zone! Do Northeast requires a separate time zone? This has been one of the most debated questions in the past 40 years. As said already, the successive governments in the Centre have repeatedly rejected this "valid" demand citing several reasons.

However, here, one must know that the Indian geography is diverse and its western and easternmost parts are separated by over 3000s miles. In such a situation, there is an uneven distribution of time, which makes the demand for a secondtime zone, apart from the Indian Standard Time (IST), even more valid.

Let's delve in deep...

The Unnaturally Natural Sleep Cycle

In our growing up days, we must have been advised by our parents to sleep early and rise early so that we can become healthy, wealthy and wise. And some, if not most, have indeed followed this advice. So, at what time did we hit the bed and at what time did we wake up? If I recall my childhood days, I was generally forced to hit the bed "as early as" 9:30 pm sharp and waking up took place as early as 5:30 am in summers and 6:00 am during winters.

"So, you mean to say you never slept at 9:30 am? What makes you think so?" asked a friend when I told him how wrong I was to think that I have been sleeping at 9:30 pm all my life.

"Look, the sun rises and sets early in the northeast, doesn't it?" I asked him back.

"Umm... well, yes, it does! So, how is it related to not sleeping early?" He was curious to know the reason behind my deduction.