Faith is some invisible power which always helps you if you are right. I don't know for others but whenever i am in trouble or i go to Vaishno Devi, My many problems are solved. May be it's only physiological. But it worked for me.
No offense. But atheists find this belief funny. We believe you overcame your troubles by your own strength and not that of a statue sitting in a cave 4000m high.
Delusion is a great way to reduce or completely eliminate stress and anxiety.
People who are emotionally overwhelmed, like teenagers who get dumped, like to hurt themselves because the feeling of cutting themselves hurts less than what they are feeling emotionally. Delusion is a better way to reduce this type of anxiety and it's quite well known theory that religion or deeply religious feelings during signs of trouble is like a defence mechanism that the brain uses to protect itself. It's funny but 90% of the time, people think of God when they are in trouble. When people are happy, God has no place, even temporarily. It's all in the mind.
However if it makes you happy, then don't let it stop you. Faith in something unreal is simply delusion. Faith in your own strength is what makes us different from animals. We, however, take it to a whole new level.
It's fine if people say there can be no atheists in India. That's another delusion too. In India, there is no mechanism which allows you to be an official atheist. Govt actually does not know the concept and like you believe that atheists don't exist at all. This needs reform. There was a case last year where a couple wanted their baby to be listed as no religion. But the govt machinery did not have that option. So, they had to settle for "Other."
Also, about your question on marriage. There is no place for religious ritual being a proof of marriage. In India, by law, only if you have the certificate of marriage with both names in can allows you to be a couple. Other proof of documents that show you are married to one another would be passport, voters id etc which shows the Husband's name. If you go to a registrar and say, look I tied this mangalsutra on this woman and she is my wife, without any proof, then they will say the magic two words starting with F and ending with F.
There is a provision, pointed out to me by Ray sir, called Special Marriage Act which allows atheist couples to tie the knot without any religious ritual from any religion. It would be legally binding and carries more weight than sindoor. This in India, not Magadha.
As for religion, personally I used to celebrate Diwali with crackers, stopped since a long time. But then I also celebrate Ramzan with my muslim friends and also will be going to a Christmas party with friends tonight. I don't sit and sing carols and bhajans though.
Birth-Marriage-Festival Celebration-Death funeral is done as per religion.
Birth needs a birth certificate and can be made immediately after birth. If you are Hindu you can name your child as soon as it's born like Christians do and still register it. No need of waiting for months to pass and then run an elaborate function for the same.
Marriage has been explained.
Festival celebration - heck I don't celebrate any festival without my trusty chicken and KF Premium.
Death and funeral is not particularly in your hands, but there are ways to dispose of the body without any religious ritual. Still a good funeral is more for having led a good life rather than some cockamaime religious thing. Check how funerals at sea and space is done. You are just fish food or thrown in space. Good thing is an atheist can decide how his body needs be disposed without any inconvenience to the family. Religion is not the end all of everything.
Like I said, there are plenty of atheists in India, you just need to look at the right place. Funny thing is nearly every explicit atheist is highly educated with at least a graduate degree. You will never find a poor explicit atheist.