Dari,
A trip back to India is on my list. I have not been in India since the late '80's but my week there was just terrific.
We were the first USN ship in India for 18 years, so we were pretty heavily feted by the Indian Navy, also had a few parties at the Embassy. This was in Mumbai.
But after that I had four days of leave and a friend of mine and I headed to Pune. We hired a driver for all four days. We had a blast and were welcomed everywhere we went.
I know you travel a lot but in the case of India (without Tonto), I'd look at something like this outfit:
India Travel and Tours - Voyagetrek
I would start with a small group in the part of the country I am most interested in then reserve the last week or so to private travel once you get the rhythm of the travel in India set.
When I go to a major foreign city I always take one of those cheesy bus tours the first full day...while corny and conspicuous, I have found that the tours are a great shortcut to learning about the city, local history and parts of the city I want to focus on.
My 2 centavos. Have a great time!