Time, as we experience it, is not only a measure of the sciences but an inherent aspect of human existence. We live our days to the rising and setting of the sun, but we allow our clocks to be ruled by lines that cannot be seen on a map-time zones. What do you do, though, when individuals find that official time is no longer working for them? What occurs when a region or town simply decides to live by the sun rather than the clock? Welcome to an interesting ride through regions such as Northeast India and Spain, where locals have established their own time zones not officially, but in practice, just to feel more in sync with nature.

Time is a Political Invention

Let's begin with a straightforward but little-known fact: time zones are human-made. They were unified in the late 19th century to assist with something like train timetables and telecommunication. Prior to that, local towns had their own time, typically determined by the position of the sun. Most nations today follow a single time zone or a few, in proportion to their size. India, for instance, uses Indian Standard Time (IST), which is UTC +5:30. This time is referenced off UTC using a longitude through the middle section of the country, close to Allahabad. However, India is vast, from Gujarat in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the remote northeast, and the sun rises and sets at quite dissimilar times throughout the nation. For residents of the east, the sun might rise as early as 4:00 AM and set at 4:30 PM. Waking up early at dawn and waiting for hours for schools or offices to start seems like a reality. The disparity between natural time and official time is no longer merely inconvenient it becomes an everyday annoyance.

Northeast India: Running Ahead of the Clock

Let's zoom in on Assam, a state in Northeast India. While it adheres to IST like the rest of the nation, a large number of people here follow an unofficial time: "Chaibagaan Time" or "Tea Garden Time." It's UTC +6:30, an hour ahead of IST. So called because of the British colonial-era tea gardens, planters, and laborers changed their clocks to utilize daylight to the best. The sun comes up early here, so it only makes sense to wake up early, too. In tea estates and most homes, the day starts and ends earlier than elsewhere in India. Shops open before dawn, schools begin early, and dinner could be over by 7 PM. It's not formal, and you won't find it on the clock settings of your phone, but it's how people really live. The requirement for an independent time zone has even extended to political discussions. In 2017, the Assam chief minister proposed establishing a dedicated time zone for the Northeast in order to increase productivity and decrease energy consumption. Although the idea has not been put into practice as yet, the fact that so many people already live this way is evidence of the very strong demand.

Spain: Living in the Wrong Time Zone

Now let's hop continents to Spain, a European country that, remarkably, exists on a time zone that has nothing to do with where it is geographically. Spain should, geographically speaking, share the same time zone as the UK and Portugal (UTC+0), but in fact operates on Central European Time (UTC+1), inherited during World War II as a symbol of solidarity with Nazi Germany. The nation never reverted after the war. Spain thus exists one hour ahead of its "proper" time, and two hours during daylight saving time. What does it mean for everyday life? Well, in Spain, everyone wakes up late, eats lunch at 2 or 3 PM, has a siesta, and then dinner at 9 or even 10 PM. Prime time television doesn't begin until 10 PM! It's a way of life that many find romantic, but it comes with a price. Research has found that Spaniards sleep less than their European counterparts and that they have reduced levels of productivity within "normal" working hours. There have been proposals to revert back to the natural time zone, particularly to better work-life balance and health. But change is difficult. People are accustomed to their habits, and to realign them needs a cultural as much as a logistical transformation.

Why People Change Time?

So why do people in entire towns and regions choose to live differently from official time? The reason is simple: to regain mastery over their daily lives.

1. Better Alignment with Nature

In regions such as Northeast India, aligning the day to the sun just seems more natural. It implies waking up at sunrise, optimizing daylight, and retiring to bed in advance. It's the biorhythm our bodies adapted to keep.

2. Improved Health and Productivity

Harmonizing with natural light assists in balancing sleep and enhancing mental well-being. Individuals are more refreshed in the day and restful at night. In Spain, it has been attributed to low productivity and poor health. Conversely, an unofficial time zone can assist in rebalancing.

3. Energy Efficiency

Beginning and ending the day earlier results in less artificial lighting used in the evening. It can benefit energy costs and the planet.

4. Cultural and Regional Identity

In both Assam and Spain, living by a different clock also becomes a statement of identity. It’s a way of saying, “We’re different, and we’re proud of it.” It reflects local traditions, histories, and ways of life that don’t always fit neatly into a national framework.

The Clock Isn’t the Boss, People Are!

What we take away from these accounts is that time does not necessarily need to be a top-down, rigid system. Rather, when people become responsible for their own time, life is more practical and more meaningful. It's a tiny act of defiance against the sameness of the contemporary world and a reminder that time, at its base, is about people. In an increasingly digital, networked, and time-constrained world, the quiet resistance of keeping an unofficial time zone feels revolutionary. It's a declaration that human needs light, rest, and rhythm are more important than political boundaries on a map.

A More Flexible Future

As we go into the future, perhaps it's time to rethink time. With flexible employment, remote work, and worldwide collaboration becoming the new standard, perhaps we can dispense with the need to adhere so strictly to outdated time zones anymore. Technology enables us to manage across differences of time more readily than ever before. Perhaps the future is not so much about a one-world time, but about multiple local times that honour the sun and the soul. Because when it gets right down to it, time needs to serve the people, rather than the reverse. So the next time you look at the clock, take note: someone somewhere is beginning their day an hour ahead, not because some government edict instructed them to do so, but because it simply makes sense. And perhaps, just perhaps, they're onto something.

.    .    .