As policymakers in New Delhi put their heads together to deal with the long-term impact on India’s economy from a prolonged Iran war, they should stare deep into their teacups. The leaves at the bottom may hold the clue to a simple but powerful mitigating strategy: Respect the sun. In 1906, the subcontinent’s British administrators forced clocks to chime in sync; Greenwich Mean Time plus 5:30 hours became the local standard. It was a poor compromise that squandered the morning light in the east and forced the west to extend its workday long into an expensive, energy-intensive evening. Colonial trading hubs — Calcutta in the east, and Bombay in the west— tried to retain their own separate times.