Business hours :-
Government office are open from 10 am to 5 pm, Monday to Saturday, and are closed every second Saturday. Banks are open from 10 am to 2 pm Monday to Friday, and 10 am to 12 noon on Saturday. There are some banks with evening branches also. Travellers cheque transactions usually cease 30 minutes before the official bank closing time. In some tourist center there may be foreign exchange offices that stay open longer (eg Thomas Cook is open Monday to Saturday 9.30 am to 6 pm). In most of the state capitals, the main post office (usually called GPO) is open until around 7 pm daily.
Shops and markets opens around 10 (it varies with city) and closes at 8 PM, markets are usually closed on Sunday and public holidays. But you will find some shops to remain open on Sundays also.
Public Holidays and National Holidays :-
National Holidays :-
These are the days when you will find all the government and private establishment closed including banks and tourist spots. Following are the days :
Republic Day – 26th January of every year – It was on this day in 1950, the constitution of Independent India became applicable to the country and so the republic became a legal entity.
Ambedkar Jayanti – 14th April of every year – The birth anniversary of Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar, the founder of Indian constitution.
Independence Day – 15th August of every year – The anniversary of unfurling of the Indian tricolor at the red fort ushering in the age of freedom from British rule in 1947.
Gandhi Jayanti – 2nd Oct of every year – A grateful nation pays it’s heartfelt tribute to the Father Of Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on his birthday.
Public Holidays :-
India has a great number of holidays and festivals. Most follow either the Indian lunar calendar or the Islamic calendar, and therefore festival dates changes from year to year according to the calendar. Local tourist offices should be able to provide specific dates. Most tourist attractions, such as museums and monuments, are closed on public holidays.
Weight and Measures :-
Capacity :-
- 1 liter=0.220 gallons
- 1 gallon=4.546 liters
- 1 pint=0.863 liters
Weight :-
- 1 Kilogram=2.205 pounds
- 1 Pound=0.454 kilograms
Length :-
- 1 meter=1.094 yards
- 1 yard=0.914 meters
- 1 kilometer=0.621 miles
- 1 mile=1.609 kilometers
General information :-
Electricity :-
Electricity 220-240 volts AC. Some tope hotels have transformers. There may pronounced variations in the voltage, and power cuts are common. Socket sizes vary so you are advised to take a universal adaptor (available at most airports). Many hotels even in the higher categories don’t have electric razor sockets. During power cuts, diesel generators are often used in the medium and higher category hotels to provide power for essential equipment but this may not always cover air-conditioning.
Time difference :-
Official time difference is GMT +5 1/2 hours through out the year (USA, EST+10 1/2 hours). In India you will not find different time zone.
About India :-
India is the seventh largest country in the world with the area of 3287, 539 sq km, and the second largest country in the world in population. It stretches 3220 km from north to south and 2980 km from east to west.
Around 83% of its population is hindus & other 11% Muslims, 2.5% Christians, 2% Sikhs, 1.5% Buddhist, Jains and others. Hindi is the most important & national language spoken by about 50% of population.
Major cities are Delhi (capital), Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai. The countries literacy rate is 36%.
