India Standard (IST)
Bangalore operates on India Standard (IST). This time zone does not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Time Zone: India Standard Time (IST) — Standard Offset: UTC+5:30 (IST) — DST: Not observed
Country: India
This city does not observe Daylight Saving Time. The UTC offset remains constant year-round, which simplifies international scheduling.
Bangalore (officially Bengaluru) operates on IST (UTC+5:30) and is India's technology capital. Home to the Indian campuses of Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, and thousands of homegrown IT companies, Bangalore generates a disproportionate share of India's tech output. The city's tech parks — Electronic City, Whitefield, Manyata — buzz from morning IST through late evening as workers coordinate with international time zones.
Bangalore's IST offset enables the classic 'follow-the-sun' software development model. US teams in Pacific Time hand off work at 5 PM PT (6:30 AM IST next day); Bangalore teams work during IST hours and hand results back to US teams by their morning. This near-24-hour development cycle has been a core advantage of US-India tech partnerships for decades. The model works because the time gap is large enough for a full work shift between handoffs.
Many Bangalore tech workers operate on shifted schedules to maximize overlap with US clients. Common shifts include 1 PM to 10 PM IST (catching 3:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET) or 2 PM to 11 PM IST. This creates a unique urban rhythm — Bangalore's tech corridors have rush-hour traffic not just at 9 AM and 6 PM, but also at 1 PM and 10 PM as shifted workers commute. Restaurants and services near tech parks stay open late to accommodate.
Bangalore's startup scene — including unicorns like Flipkart, Ola, Swiggy, and Razorpay — operates on IST but increasingly serves global markets. Founders in Bangalore regularly take investor calls with Sand Hill Road VCs at odd IST hours (late night or early morning). The city's entrepreneurial culture has adapted to the time zone reality, with co-working spaces and meeting rooms available around the clock.