The Indian Relationship With Time (And Why IST Is a Philosophy)
Share
IST is not Indian Standard Time. IST is Indian Stretchable Time. The specific relationship that the Indian has with the clock — the relationship that treats the time on the invitation as a suggestion, the time of arrival as a negotiation, the time of departure as an open question. The party that is called for seven and begins at nine. The meeting that is scheduled for ten and starts at ten-thirty. The train that is supposed to leave at six and leaves at six-fifteen, which is, by Indian standards, on time.
The Indian relationship with time is not disrespect for time. It is a different philosophy of time. The philosophy that says: the event will happen when the people are ready, that the clock is a guide rather than a command, that the specific warmth of the gathering is more important than the specific minute of the arrival.
The Invitation Time
The Indian invitation time is the time that is written on the card and the time that nobody arrives at. The wedding card that says six o'clock and the wedding that begins at eight. The dinner invitation that says seven and the dinner that is served at nine. The Made in India, Running Out of Time T-Shirt is for the Indian host's specific anxiety: the food that is ready at seven, the guests who arrive at nine, the specific recalibration of the evening that happens every time. The Indian host who has learned to cook for nine when the invitation says seven. This is the wisdom of IST.
The Arrival
The Indian arrival is never on time. The arrival that is early is the arrival that is rude — the guest who arrives before the host is ready, who sees the house before it is prepared, who disrupts the specific preparation that the host has been doing since the morning. The arrival that is on time is slightly awkward. The arrival that is late is the arrival that is correct — the guest who arrives when the gathering has already begun, who enters a room that is already warm, who is welcomed rather than waited for.
The Sab Thik Hai T-Shirt is for the Indian arrival — the guest who arrives at the right time, which is not the time on the invitation, who says sab thik hai to the host who asks if they are late, because they are not late. They are Indian. They are exactly on time.
The Departure
The Indian departure is the most specific negotiation of the Indian social event. The departure that is announced and then not executed. The chalo, nikalna chahiye that is said and then followed by another twenty minutes of conversation. The High Chance of Overthinking T-Shirt is for the departure calculation — the specific analysis of whether it is too early to leave, whether the host will be offended, whether the conversation has reached a natural conclusion. The Indian departure that happens when it happens, which is always later than announced.
The Chai Thandi Ho Gayi T-Shirt is for the departure chai — the chai that is made when the guest announces they are leaving, that is drunk while the departure is being negotiated, that goes cold because the departure takes longer than the chai. The chai that is the departure's most specific companion.
The IST Meeting
The Indian professional meeting has its own IST. The meeting that is scheduled for ten and begins at ten-fifteen when everyone has arrived and the chai has been distributed. The 24/7 Night Shift T-Shirt is for the Indian professional who has been thinking about the meeting since 2am and arrives at ten-fifteen having already processed every possible outcome. The meeting that starts late and ends late and produces the decision that was always going to be produced, in the time that was always going to be taken.
The Train
The Indian train is the most honest expression of IST. The train that is scheduled and the train that arrives — two different events, related but not identical. The Our Original GPS System T-Shirt is for the platform — the specific waiting, the specific information gathering, the specific Indian patience of the person who knows the train will come and is comfortable with not knowing exactly when. The platform chai. The platform conversation. The specific community of people who are all waiting for the same train and have made peace with the waiting.
The Philosophy
The Indian relationship with time is the philosophy of the present. The Press Play on Memories T-Shirt is for the gathering — the specific warmth of the room when everyone has finally arrived, the specific quality of the conversation that happens when the time pressure is removed, the specific pleasure of the event that ends when it ends rather than when the clock says it should.
Browse the full Jolly Jacket 90s Nostalgic Tshirts Collection — for the Indian who lives in IST. The tee that says: I will be there. I will be there when I am there. The gathering will be warm when I arrive. This is the philosophy. This is IST.