In the Indian subcontinent having what is called a "reliving letter" from your previous employers is very important.

Have a look at the workplace stack overflow to see the sort of problems Asian developers face "horrific" is how it was describe to me.

In some places gaps in your CV are a big problem, as they want to know exactly what you were doing and why you were not employable. The idea that you might have chosen to take time out is pretty new in some areas.

Could you really? I presume most employers will ask you what did you do in that omitted period. At least listening to Career Tools podcast gave me that impression.