Essentials

1. Passport
2. Airline Tickets
3. 500 USD cash
4. 200 USD in traveller's checks
5. Electricity convertor
6. Lots of earplugs (bring some on plane!)
7. Pictures of loved ones!

Clothing

1. 3 pants, 2 shorts
2. windbreaker
3. sweatshirt
4. Rain poncho
5. Hats (with decent size brims)
6. Small umbrella
7. Sunglasses
8. Flip-flops
9. Cheap sneakers
10. Hiking sneakers
11. 5 short sleeve, 2 long sleeve shirts
12. 7 days socks/underwear
13. Bathing suit

Miscellaneous

1. Pens (for village children) and candy (for city children)
2. Garbage/cloth bag for dirty clothes
3. Wire fishing line for tying up things
4. Little camera, big camera, holders
5. Small camera tripod
6. All kinds of reading material
7. Magic marker to mark film canisters
8. Reading glasses
9. Notepads
10. Screwdriver for glasses
11. Small magnifying glass
12. Many sandwich bags
13. Scissors
14. Immersion heater for heating water
15. Cleaning cloth for glasses
16. Small needle and thread kit
17. Glue

Travel Aids

1. Lonely Planet Guidebook
2. Rough Guide Guidebook
3. Lonely Planet Hindu Phrase book
4. Sheets for ashram stays
5. Blow up pilllow
6. Sleeping bag pouch (for dirty hotel beds)
7. Backpack for day trips, walking around
8. Map of India
9. Reading light
10. Small calculator (for money conversion)

Medicine-Health-Hygiene

1. First Aid kit
2. Doxycline (all purpose antiobiotic, especially good for 'traveller's diarrhea)
3. Immodium-AD
4. Swiss-Criss (natural laxative)
5. Sunscreen
6. Melatonin (natural sleeping and jet-lag agent, highly recommended, sets body rythms to local time)
7. Kyolic (garlic medicine)
8. Nutrobiotic (natural antibiotic made from grapefruit seeds)
9. Vitamin B,C
10. Tissues: Small packages
11. Bactine-like products
12. Disinfectant liquid (in hand-soap dispenser, very useful)
13. Towelettes for hands
14. Nail clippers (never bite your nails in India!)
15. Mylanta (indigestion medicine)
16. Bandaids
17. Oscillococcinum (Homeopathic flu medicine)
18. Pepto-Bismol tablets (very useful!)
19. Chlorella tablets, spirulina
20. Throat Lozenges
21. "Green Ban" mosquito repellant
22. Hypodermic needles (in case you have to go to the hospital)

Security

1. Flashlights
2. Knives (Swiss/multi-purpose, other sharp knife)
3. Cable lock (useful in trains to lock suitcase to train, prevents walking away...)
4. Small locks (always keep all bags locked)
5. Money belt and/or passport pouch
6. Clock radio alarm device (check Sharper Image)

Journalling

1. Dictaphone and tape (to capture the sounds of India)
2. Laptop computer ( I brought a cheap one to carry along)
3. Floppy disks
4. Extra laptop battery
5. Airmail paper
6. Several good pens

Food

1. High protein snacks (peanut butter, nuts)
2. Dried soups/dehydrated food
3. Herbal teas
4. Turkey-jerky (for a quick protein pickup)
5. Energy bars
6. Comfort food