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In a country as large and diverse as India it is not surprising that there seems to be a festival celebrated somewhere in the country every day of the year. For a calendar of indicative dates click here. The sample list that follows gives an idea of just some of the celebrations that you will come across when doing business in India, an explain why people may be out or delay response. The dates vary - generally because there are tied to a lunar calendar that varies each year in relation to the Gregorian calendar.
Not religious but there are three national days January 26th Republic Day, August 15th Independence Day and October 2nd Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday
The most significant Bihu festival around mid-April time is important in Assam.
Buddha Purnima is celebrated by Buddhists around Aporil to May each year, and marks the birth of Buddha.
Diwali in either October or November each year, is widely celebrated all over the country Also often referred to as the festival of lights it lasts five days and is often seen as major holiday time in offices and businesses all over India.
Usually celebrated in September or October each year, Durga Puja is an important festival particular in West Bengal and surrounding states.
Dussehra, celebrated throughout India and last 10 days and is again usually in September to October time.
EID. There are two EID festivals each year in the Muslim calendar. Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Zoha. Eid-ul-Fift is marked at the end of the fast month of Ramadan, at the sight of the new moon. It is followed almost two and half months later by Eid-ul-Zoha or Bakri-id. Based on the lunar calandars the dates will vary each year, a calendar of approximate dates can be found at
Lohri, important in the Punjab and to Pubjabi families all over India, marks the end of winter (mid January and on).
Ganesha Chaturthi, is the the Hindu festival of Ganesha, and usually falls mid late august to mid/late September. Lasting 10/11 days it is celebrated all over India, it is most elaborate in western and southern India
Onam: A harvest festival (usually August or September), Onam is a festival of flowers celebrated in Kerala and famous for the snake boat races.
Pongal: In Tamil Nadu and related areas, Pongal marks the end of harvesting and coincides with a numebr of harvest time festivals such as Sankranthi, Maghi (Punjab and others) and Uttarayan (Gujurrat and others).
In terms of Christian festivals Christmas Day and Good Friday are widely respected.
Wikipedia has a fairly exhaustive list
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