रात दिन दिन रात (Rāta-Dina, Dina- Rāta) Night & Day, Day & Night, Raqs Media Collective

Instead of numerals, this luminous clock measures the day with twenty-four words describing time and duration written in Devanāgarī script. The degree of temporal intensity ranges from social change, such as “revolution” (क्राि_त, krānti, hour 19), to the movement of celestial bodies with “eclipse” (_हण, grahaṇ, hour 7). The clock also features culturally specific words such as atithi (अितिथ, hour 21), a word for the arrival of an unexpected guest, and taru ( , hour 5) “the time it takes for a tree to grow.” The range of terms combined with the calm glow emanating from the clock convey the variety of ways time can be represented and described. By rendering time according to deeply coded, culturally specific terms, Night & Day, Day & Night effectively disrupts the dominance of Euro-American timekeeping, presenting the viewer with the daunting diversity of time.
Below are the twenty-four words and corresponding hour positions on Night & Day, Day & Night written in Devanāgarī script with corresponding transliterations and English translations.
Hindi Transliteration Translation
1. आिद Ādi Origin
2. काल Kāla Age (or time, generally)
3. युग Yuga Eon
4. क_प Kalpa Epoch (one day for the Hindu deity Brahma)
5. Taru The time it takes for a tree to grow
6. ऋतु R̥tu Season
7. _हण Grahaṇ Eclipse
8. चरण Caraṇa Phase
9. ितिथ Tithi Date
10. िनिमश Nimiṣa Blink
11. Kṣaṇa Moment
12. प्राण Prāṇa Breath (the time it takes to take one breath)
13. इित Iti End
14. शीघ्र Śīghra Immediate
15. लय Laya Rhythm
16. असमय Asamaya Untimely
17. कदािचत् Kadācit Occasionally, Rarely
18. मुहूतर् Muhurta Specified moment
19. क्राि_त Krānti The clash of two ages, Revolution
20. अतः Ataḥ Then onwards
21. अितिथ Atithi Guest without date (tithi)
22. अहोरात्र Ahoratra The interval between sunrises
23. Pakṣha Fortnight
24. सम Sama Concordance