The complete list of national and international days observed in India — month by month, with date, theme and why it matters for UPSC, SSC, Banking and State PCS exams.
From Republic Day on 26 January to Constitution Day on 26 November and National Mathematics Day on 22 December, India's calendar is dotted with days that commemorate people, treaties, achievements and themes. Each one is a high-probability fact-question in government-exam General Awareness sections, and many provide the running theme for that day's current-affairs cycle — Hindi Diwas on 14 September, World Environment Day on 5 June, International Yoga Day on 21 June.
We list every major national and international day below, by month, with the date, the theme for 2026, the year established and the reason it exists. Click any card to read the full one-page explainer.
The year opens with two of the most-asked days — Republic Day and Voters' Day — plus six more.
Includes National Science Day commemorating CV Raman.
Independence Day, National Sports Day and several internationally-observed days.
Teachers' Day, Engineers' Day, Hindi Diwas — a month of professional observances.
Includes National Mathematics Day, Constitution Day and Human Rights Day.
The most important national days of India are Republic Day (26 Jan), Independence Day (15 Aug), Gandhi Jayanti (2 Oct), Constitution Day (26 Nov), National Sports Day (29 Aug), National Mathematics Day (22 Dec), Teachers' Day (5 Sep), Children's Day (14 Nov), National Science Day (28 Feb) and National Voters' Day (25 Jan). All ten feature regularly in UPSC, SSC and banking exam questions.
National Mathematics Day is celebrated every year on 22 December to mark the birth anniversary of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan (born 22 December 1887, Erode, Tamil Nadu). The day was declared in 2012 by then PM Manmohan Singh on Ramanujan's 125th birth anniversary. The whole of 2012 was observed as the National Mathematical Year. Read the full National Mathematics Day explainer →
National Sports Day is celebrated on 29 August every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand (29 Aug 1905 - 3 Dec 1979). On this day, the President confers the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (renamed in 2021), Arjuna Awards, Dronacharya Awards and Dhyan Chand Awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Fit India Movement was launched on this day in 2019. Read the full explainer →
Important days are factual one-line questions in the General Awareness section of nearly every Indian government exam. They appear because they connect to current affairs (themes change each year), to Constitution-making (Constitution Day, Republic Day), to historical figures (Gandhi Jayanti, Birsa Munda Jayanti) and to government priorities (Fit India, Beti Bachao). One easy-to-score factual question per day is common.
Group days by month and bookmark a calendar; link each day to its 'why' — the person, treaty or theme behind it; practise 5 quick MCQs on important days every morning; mind-map themes (health days in April, water days in March, education days in September); revise the 30-40 high-frequency days every quarter.