1981 in India

Centuries:	18th; ; ; ; ;
Decades:	; ; ; ; ;
See also:	List of years in India; Timeline of Indian history

Events in the year 1981 in the Republic of India.

Incumbents

July – About 308 people die in Bangalore after drinking illicit liquor (see: 1981 Karnataka liquor deaths).
Arasan Ganesan Polytechnic is founded in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. It is a Government aided co-educational technical institute.
National Aluminium Company incorporated as a public sector enterprise of the Government of India.
2 July – Infosys is founded in Pune

3 January – Sanggai Chanu, field hockey player.
25 February – Anuj Sawhney, actor and model.
9 June – Celina Jaitley, actress.
17 June – Amrita Rao, model and actress.
19 June – Gulzar Khan, philosopher and mathematician.
7 July – Mahendra Singh Dhoni, cricketer.
3 August - Manish Paul, Indian television host, anchor and actor
25 August – Shiva Keshavan, luge pilot
30 August – Shilpa Prabhakar Satish, IAS.
27 September – Lakshmipathy Balaji, cricketer.
7 October – Abhijeet Sawant, singer and winner of Indian Idol (season 1)
File:Gautam Gambhir - LS MP.jpg
Gautam Gambhir
14 October - Gautam Gambhir, Cricketer and politician

12 December -

3 May – Nargis, actress (born 1929).
19 June - Subhas Mukhopadhyay, Physician created World's second IVF (born 1931)
24 September – Brahmarishi Hussain Sha, seventh head of Sri Viswa Viznana Vidya Adhyatmika Peetham and scholar (born 1905).
26 December – Savitri, actress (born 1936).
28 December – David Abraham Cheulkar, actor (born 1908).