IT’S quite interesting, and somewhat amusing as well, to note how people from different walks of life have reacted differently to the time change that took place in April. Though we are nearly three months into the ‘new’ timings, there are still many people who are clinging to the ‘old’ time. These people have a real mindset about switching over to the ‘daylight saving time,’ as it’s proponent like to refer to it.
A change in winter and summer timings is generally practised by the ‘cold’ countries, where the Sun shines just for a short while and people are desperate for sunlight so that they can make use of as much daylight as possible. Those, in Pakistan, who do not accept the new time change, argue that we have enough daylight — more than enough in summer. Therefore the alteration was an exercise in futility. Those fond of being outdoors in the evenings lament the loss of their ‘cool evenings’ and children make a fuss about eating and going to bed, because when it’s dinner time, the Sun is still out! Outdoor types and sports freaks are happy because when office hours are over, they still have time for sporting and other activities. Children can go to school and come home at a time when the Sun is not as strong as it would be an hour later. Shopping centres too are open for a longer time in the evenings when more people are out shopping.
Those who have accepted the time change fall into two categories. The first lot have carried on their schedules according to the timings they followed previously — breakfast at eight; to office at nine and so on.
The other lot have changed their timings with the argument that ‘it is still such and such time’. So it’s breakfast at nine and office at ten! The latter issue invitations with the same reasoning, so now you often find yourself having lunch at 3pm and dinner at 11.
Then there are whole villages in many parts of the country who have not switched over, either because they are not sure what it’s all about or because they are reluctant to make the switchover. In this category there are many shopkeepers who have not forwarded their clocks and still operate according to the old times. It’s all very confusing. But then don’t we all thrive on confusion?
The humorous aspect of all this confusion and reluctance is that the blame for the time change is being put on Pakistan Television. Sometime back, PTV had asked its viewers to vote whether they liked the main news bulletin at 9pm or would they prefer it at some other time like 8pm or 10pm. This survey had taken place just before the daylight savings time was introduced. So now people say the PTV wanted the news to be at 8pm, hence the clocks were put forward!
There are also those who call the new time ‘Musharraf Time’ because they think that as a military dictator, it was only his decision. The new time is also called the ‘American Time’ because many believe that President Bush ‘forced’ President Musharraf to make the switch! Asked to elaborate, the proponents of this theory have no answer.
There should have been some programmes on television to explain the necessity for the switch over. Can you imagine how much bewilderment will take place when we revert to the old time in October?
So there you have it. Even on such a matter as a time change, which is not all that earth shattering, as a nation we have such a divided stance, that it makes you wonder how united we would stand on more serious matters.
