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year, then applying the Gregorian rule. The era is the traditional Saka era of A.D. 79 March 24, or Julian Day number 1,749,995. The calendar is intended to start with the day following the vernal equinox, according to the original intention of the Surya calendar system. |
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The lengths of the months are set to correspond more closely to the lengths that the months should have if the orbit of the Earth about the Sun were divided into 12 equal angular parts of 30 degrees. Because of the slight eccentricity of the Earth's orbit and the consequences of the mechanics expressed as Kepler's Law, the Earth moves more quickly at perigee than apogee. The season of winter occurs near perigee, so spring and summer last longer than autumn and fall and the months at the beginning of the year are slightly longer on average than the months at the end of the year. This adjustment also occurs in the Persian Solar calendar. |
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Table 9.21 shows the lengths of the various months as of A.D. 1950, when the Indian civil calendar calculations were performed. |
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The difficulty with such a scheme is that the relevant variables controlling the ratio of summer to winter are changing, so that a given ratio may be valid at one time but invalid at another. The Indian calendar assumes that certain variables are constant. Although it matches the structure of the year more closely than the Gregorian calendar at the moment, it will eventually drift out of alignment and require modification to achieve its stated objectives. |
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9.6.2.1.2
Historical Background |
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Not for the first time in human history has calendar reform been viewed as an instrument of political policy. In the case of early 1950s India, that policy was unification under the central government. The Preface to the Committee's Report states, for example, regarding the existence of local calendars, that, "This is a state of affairs which Independent India cannot tolerate. A revised national calendar, as proposed by us, should usher a new element of unity in India." |
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Calendar reform in general was viewed favorably as one consequence of this policy. India's rulers wanted a calendar with four essential characteristics: |
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1.) Free of colonial associations, thus excluding the Gregorian calendar. |
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2.) Free of Muslim influence, thus excluding the Islamic calendar. |
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3.) Universally applicable across India, thus excluding the local traditional calendars. |
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The fourth point was not the most important. Such a calendar had to be invented and would therefore offend some groups. A politically easier solution would have been a calendar that was accepted by other nations as well. Because the Gregorian calendar was already in place in this role, an alternate calendar external to India would do. |
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