Imagine a World With One Universal Time Zone…

Earlier this month, the chief minister of the Indian state of Assam, Tarun Gogoi, started something of a brouhaha with a bold pronouncement on the generally sleepy topic of time zones. “We need a local time for Assam and the other northeastern states which will be ahead of Indian Standard Time by at least an hour to 90 minutes,” he said. “People will be more energetic, and we will save on energy consumption.”

Gogoi’s suggestion is unlikely to come to fruition soon—he would need support from many states and agencies that haven’t been consulted at all—but he does have a point., Max Bearak reported that “In Mumbai, where Jahnu Barua makes documentary films, a normal Indian lunchtime of 2 p.m. more or less corresponds to midday. But when Mr. Barua goes back to his home state of Assam, especially during the winter months, the afternoon light is waning by the time lunch rolls around, and is completely gone by the time most people get out of work around 5.”