Indian Standard Time (IST) is the time observed throughout India and Sri Lanka, with a time offset of UTC+05:30. India does not observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) or other seasonal adjustments. In military and aviation time, IST is designated E* ("Echo-Star").

Indian Standard Time is calculated on the basis of 82.5° E longitude, from a clock tower in Mirzapur (25°09′N 82°35′E / 25.15°N 82.58°E / 25.15; 82.58) (near Allahabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh) which is nearly on the corresponding longitude reference line.

In the IANA time zone database it is represented by Asia/Kolkata.

After independence in 1947, the Indian government established IST as the official time for the whole country, although Kolkata and Mumbai retained their own local time (known as Bombay Time) until 1955. The Central observatory was moved from Chennai to a location near Mirzapur, so that it would be as close to UTC +5:30 as possible.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) was used briefly during the Sino–Indian War of 1962 and the Indo–Pakistani Wars of 1965 and 1971.

Standard time is the result of synchronizing clocks in different geographical locations within a time zone to the same time rather than using the local meridian as in local mean time or solar time. Historically, this helped in the process of weather forecasting and train travel. The concept became established in the late 19th century. The time so set has come to be defined in terms of offsets from Universal Time. Where daylight saving time is used, the term standard time typically refers to the time without daylight saving time.

The adoption of Standard Time, because of the inseparable correspondence between time and longitude, solidified the concepts of halving the globe into an eastern and western hemisphere, with one Prime Meridian (as well its opposite International Dateline) replacing the various Prime Meridians that were in use.

A standardized time system was first used by British railways on December 11, 1847, when they switched from local mean time to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). It was also given the name Railway time reflecting the important role the railway companies played in bringing it about. The vast majority of Great Britain's public clocks were being synchronised using GMT by 1855.

Mohammad Umer Daudzai (Pashto: محمد عمر داودزی - born October 12, 1957), is the Chief of Staff of Afghan President Hamid Karzai from 2003 to 2005 and then from 2007 to present. He is a former member of the Hezbi Islami and was from 2005 until 2007 Afghan's Ambassador in Iran.

Mohammad Omar Daudzai was born on October 12, 1957 in the Qarabagh District of the Kabul Province in Afghanistan. He grew up and completed his primary education in his home district of Qarabagh. In order to continue his higher education, Omar moved to the capital city Kabul.

During the 1980s Daudzai became active in the resistance against the Sovjet-occupation and joined the Mujahideen group of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: Hezbi Islami. Also during the Civil War he kept fighting with the Pakistan backed Hezbi Islami to take over the country.

During the Taliban era Daudzai decided to settle in Peshawar, Pakistan, and began working for the organization Save the Children. While working there through a scholarship program, he was able to go to the Oxford University in the United Kingdom for his Masters in Science. After completing his Masters he came back to work for the Swedish Committee in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. In 1996 he moved to Islamabad, Pakistan, where he started working for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). In 2001 he moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where he assumed the role of "Area Development Specialist" in UNDP Geneva.

Gloria Marie Steinem (born March 25, 1934) is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s. A prominent writer and political figure, Steinem has founded many organizations and projects and has been the recipient of many awards and honors. She was a columnist for New York magazine and co-founded Ms. magazine. In 1969, she published an article, "After Black Power, Women's Liberation" which, along with her early support of abortion rights, catapulted her to national fame as a feminist leader. In 2005, Steinem worked alongside Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan to co-found the Women's Media Center, an organization that works to amplify the voices of women in the media through advocacy, media and leadership training, and the creation of original content. Steinem currently serves on the board of the organization. She continues to involve herself in politics and media affairs as a commentator, writer, lecturer, and organizer, campaigning for candidates and reforms and publishing books and articles.