Railway time was the first joint element that united India. Madras/Chennai was the first place to transmit time to entire India.
I’m always fascinated by the way my dad conveyed time. He prefers the 24 hours format. Many of his friends use the same, but in other walks of life in India, people stick to the 12hr time format. My dad worked in Indian railways, and in many parts of India, a 24 hours format came to be known as Railway Time. How did it the 24-hour format got the name railway time, and who gave India time? Let’s ponder on that question.
Asia’s first-time zone:
The need to have a standard time zone was the need due to Industrialisation. Prominent Astronomers across the world gathered in the USA for the World Meridian conference to conclude the center of the earth for timezone definition in 1884. The astronomers agreed that Greenwich, where British astronomical society is located will be the centerline for the time zone. Countries will calculate their time based on Greenwich meridian.
British India set up a survey office in Nungambakkam, Madras to gather data on the landscape around Madras(Modern day Chennai). John Goldingham was the first Astronomer to land in Chennai and set up the first metrological station in Asia in Madras in 1742. He mapped the stars to set Madras at 80° 17’21 “E. He predicted India is 51/2 hours ahead of GMT. The time zone was fixed as Madras’s time probably the first Asian official timezone. His successor Thomas Glanville Taylor mapped 11,000 stars and published “Madras Catalog.”
As Industrialization gripped India, it was the need of the hour to keep uptime. Indian railways started to connect the nook and corner of India. Indian railways had three time zones, namely Bombay/Mumbai time zone, Calcutta/Kolkatta time zone, and Madras/Chennai time zone. After a few years, Madras’s time was adopted as Indian railways official time as Madras observatory had a telegraph office that can synchronize time across India. Also, Madras’s time was the closest to GMT. The Madras Merdian is marked by a granite pillar that stands to this day in the spot. The small telegraph office in Madras controlled the time of entire India until independence.
Railway time:
Indian railways weaved across Indian culture and were part and parcel of everyday activity for millions of Indians. When Indian railways adopted standard time, it took the time with it throughout India. Divided by 567 princely states which even the British can’t penetrate, Indian railways brought them together at the same time. Most railway employees like my dad speak in 24 hours format as they are used to it. Madras’s time was the official time of India until independence.
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Orginially published in https://medium.com/history-in-bytes/who-gave-india-time-90bd51f4b3d
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