I've done a fair bit of India travel over the years and the main thing I can suggest is keep it simple! DON'T take too much gear!
My first trip to India was 42 years ago with a couple of M4's and 21, 50 and 90mm lenses. Found this a bit heavy so used a Barnack for trips in 71, 72, 73, 76 and 77.
In 2005 I spent time in the south using nothing but a tiny 2MP Canon P&S. Missed the Leica on that trip and swore I'd take it next time. February and March of this year I was finally back in India with the same M4 and 21,50,90 lenses I started with in 1970.
Four decades ago I shot too many different kinds of film, Plus-X, Tri-X, Kodachrome 64, and Agfa CNS (80 iso). For this years trip I only took Tri-X and Fuji 400P, rating both at 400. Film got carry on X-rayed five times and showed no difference to a couple of control rolls I left at home. I avoided using the subway system In Delhi as they were doing x-ray inspections at all stations and didn't want any more x-ray exposure. After developing back home in Canada I scan with CS-5000 and print using Epson 3880. Results are comparable to good wet prints and grain is well resolved in the print (ie sharp).
I was revisiting some of the same places visited in the seventies, and in some cases using the exact same camera. It was quite an experience seeing and photographing friends I'd not seen for 35 years. I considered buying an M9 for the trip but decided against it for several reasons. I don't like carrying gear that's too valuable as my travels are usually alone and via public transport.
To figure out if you've got too much gear try carrying it everywhere you go for a week, and I do mean everywhere. On Indian trains my camera gear goes with me to the loo every time I need to pee. I know of people who have lost expensive gear on Indian trains so this is not excessive paranoia. Fortunately I've never had any losses. On last trip I had a bit of a fright on a train, was dozing in my side berth next to the aisle when an arm came through the curtain and reached towards camera bag covered with jacket. Did the only thing I could think of, grabbed the arm and held on. Turned out it was the man in the upper berth, he wanted his night light turned off and both switches were located by the lower berth.
Besides the Leica I took a Fuji X-100 for backup and low light work. Must say that I'm very impressed with the Fuji, silent shutter and high ISO were very useful. I like to get close to subjects so wide angles tend to see the most use. Had I not brought the Fuji would probably have carried 35 Summilux or 40 Nokton. Here's a link to a few with the Fuji...
http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=1029029
A useful resource for India travel is the IndiaMike site....
http://www.indiamike.com/
Have a great trip.
Glenn
