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I am hoping to be back in India in mid-July, assuming funding and visas and acceptance to the university all works out! So I thought I'd post my packing list. Remember, I'm planning on being in India for two years, so what I pack will be quite different from the packing-light-touristy/backpacker type. 
Sorry, guys, but this is the female version, so read at your own risk.
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Clothes: I wouldn’t buy anything just to take with you unless you really want to. Last time, I took 2 pairs of pants and two shirts and bought clothes on arrival, which worked really well. BUT, you may want to take an outfit that fits really well for sizing for a tailor if you might want to have Western clothes made, especially slacks/trousers.
Underwear: DO take underwear – bras and panties. What’s available in India is not very nice and fits weird. I am also trying to find a satin camisole and slip-skirt for thin Salwar Kameez (SK) and skirts. India only has cotton slips which bunch up and stick to the outfit badly. I assume the same applies to men’s underclothing.
Shoes: No need to take unless you really want to. Well, at least one pair to wear on the plane, of course.
Others:
Stick Deodorant – spray & roll on deodorant is available, but stick deo is hard to find
Tampons – OB tampons & many brands of pads are available, but tampons with applicator are not
Make up – Several kinds of makeup are available but generally fairly expensive brands
Aleve (Naproxen Sodium) – almost any other pain killer is available if you know the name for it, but I never found this one & it’s my preferred.
Chocolate! – You can get cocoa powder and blocks of baking chocolate but Hershey’s chocolate & chocolate chips are hard to find, if at all. There is Cadbury’s, but it’s very waxy. Lots of shops have Oreos, though, which is good for a chocolate fix.
Office Supplies – good pens, binders, looseleaf paper (not white printing paper). They are available (there is even a Staples) but office supplies or paper are expensive in India. I had a really hard time finding a fold out binder for filing papers and receipts. Not worth using up all your weight, but if you already have something, may be worth taking.
Spaghetti Sauce Seasoning & Taco Seasoning – Lots of spices are available, but getting the right mix is hard. And pasta is widely available, but Ragu sauce is quite expensive, so I take a seasoning mix and make my own with the fresh tomatoes. The mix gives the exact right spices for a home taste.
Cream Cheese -- very hard to find, very expensive when you do. (about $6 a block in Delhi)
Good knives
Non-melt spatulas (for stirring) – I had a hard time finding good knives, so I am taking a set of those & non-melt rubber spatulas. I also could never find a
Plastic pancake spatula though I’m sure they’re available. I had Mom mail me one. (There were lots of metal ones)
Measuring cups – l brought some. Not sure if was totally necessary. Other kitchen stuff like pots & pans readily available.
Coffee -- Coffee is available, including flavored and non-chicory, but probably worth taking some of your favorite.
Non-black tea Black tea is readily available but herbal tea is harder to find.
Peanut Butter Available but very expensive. Skippy is about $5 per bottle. Nutella is available, and marmite I think, but also expensive.
Nice rechargeable batteries. Most places only have a generic brand which works but isn’t as good for digital cameras. I couldn't find rechargeable Kodak batteries.
Battery charger I took a universal battery charger that works with all voltages, and it’s great!
Outlet adapter If you have one or find a universal outlet adaptor, it’s helpful. Otherwise, you’ll build up a collection pretty quickly as the first thing to do in each country is to get adaptors so you can use the outlets.
Volatage Regulator If you can get one for your computer cord, is good to have, as well as surge protector. They are available in India but not always easy to find, and electronic stuff is usually more expensive in India than the US or Thailand. A lot of stuff like that gets picked up in Thailand when anyone goes thru there as they have nicer stuff, the right voltage for India/Europe, and fairly cheap prices. You don’t want to plan on getting any expensive electronics in India, such as a computer or camera.
Cook book If you can cook, you can find the ingredients for most foods, just not the ready made stuff. So if you have the recipe for your American food from scratch, you can eat American style stuff for fairly cheaply. American style restaurants and ready made stuff are quite a bit more expensive.
Gifts You probably want to have a few gifts for people, especially adults. I’m still figuring out what works well. Usually lotion or beauty products for women, food for men. Chocolate, dried fruit, and tea packets (esp flavored or herbal) are suggestions I’ve seen a lot. I’m going to get a couple Missouri souvenirs which are obviously from the US.
Things not to take:
Mosquito repellent. It is widely available, though usually a low percentage of DEET. (Odomos)
Sunscreen. Widely available at any health and beauty store or pharmacy.
Books. I’m taking lots of books cause I already have them, but there are lots of great used book stores in Bangalore so you’ll be able to buy a lot of new & old titles here. So bring your favorites, but don’t worry that you won’t have enough to read!
Shampoo & Conditioner – lots of Western/European brands available at any local pharmacy or grocery store, including Garnier, Sunsilk, Loreal, etc. etc. I am taking enough for a few days but not using the weight for any more than I have to carry until I can buy some.
Other toiletries Most other toiletries are available including nice soaps, perfumes, powders, etc. Even hand wipes and hand sanitizer will be readily available in the city.
Contact Lens Solution – Renu and Bausch and Lomb widely available. I’m taking a few generic bottles ‘cause it’s cheaper here (almost $8-$10 a bottle there) and I have the weight. Regarding contact lenses: Eye exams are free. Contacts are about the same price, but only Bausch & Lomb available and Johnson & Johnson. So if you have another brand, you need to take it with you. Glasses, though, have lots of nice frames for much cheaper than US (I got frames for $60, lenses with no tinting or coating for $15 a lens).
Greeting Cards & stationary I was told to take greeting cards as they’re not available. Not only are they available, they are everywhere! Nice stationary is also available at Gangaram’s and Crossword, off MG Road. Some of the greeting cards are super sappy & therefore hilarious, some just weird, but normal ones available, too. J
Bedding -- You can get nice pillows, though non-cotton ones are a bit more expensive ($5 each). Sheets and household linens are easy to find and good quality, fairly inexpensive. Sometimes really nice towels are hard to find, though.
Pots & pans -- Unless you have an absolute favorite and weight to spare, nice pots and pans (and cheap pots and pans!) are readily available.
Sorry, guys, but this is the female version, so read at your own risk. ===========================================================
Clothes: I wouldn’t buy anything just to take with you unless you really want to. Last time, I took 2 pairs of pants and two shirts and bought clothes on arrival, which worked really well. BUT, you may want to take an outfit that fits really well for sizing for a tailor if you might want to have Western clothes made, especially slacks/trousers.
Underwear: DO take underwear – bras and panties. What’s available in India is not very nice and fits weird. I am also trying to find a satin camisole and slip-skirt for thin Salwar Kameez (SK) and skirts. India only has cotton slips which bunch up and stick to the outfit badly. I assume the same applies to men’s underclothing.
Shoes: No need to take unless you really want to. Well, at least one pair to wear on the plane, of course.
Others:
Stick Deodorant – spray & roll on deodorant is available, but stick deo is hard to find
Tampons – OB tampons & many brands of pads are available, but tampons with applicator are not
Make up – Several kinds of makeup are available but generally fairly expensive brands
Aleve (Naproxen Sodium) – almost any other pain killer is available if you know the name for it, but I never found this one & it’s my preferred.
Chocolate! – You can get cocoa powder and blocks of baking chocolate but Hershey’s chocolate & chocolate chips are hard to find, if at all. There is Cadbury’s, but it’s very waxy. Lots of shops have Oreos, though, which is good for a chocolate fix.
Office Supplies – good pens, binders, looseleaf paper (not white printing paper). They are available (there is even a Staples) but office supplies or paper are expensive in India. I had a really hard time finding a fold out binder for filing papers and receipts. Not worth using up all your weight, but if you already have something, may be worth taking.
Spaghetti Sauce Seasoning & Taco Seasoning – Lots of spices are available, but getting the right mix is hard. And pasta is widely available, but Ragu sauce is quite expensive, so I take a seasoning mix and make my own with the fresh tomatoes. The mix gives the exact right spices for a home taste.
Cream Cheese -- very hard to find, very expensive when you do. (about $6 a block in Delhi)
Good knives
Non-melt spatulas (for stirring) – I had a hard time finding good knives, so I am taking a set of those & non-melt rubber spatulas. I also could never find a
Plastic pancake spatula though I’m sure they’re available. I had Mom mail me one. (There were lots of metal ones)
Measuring cups – l brought some. Not sure if was totally necessary. Other kitchen stuff like pots & pans readily available.
Coffee -- Coffee is available, including flavored and non-chicory, but probably worth taking some of your favorite.
Non-black tea Black tea is readily available but herbal tea is harder to find.
Peanut Butter Available but very expensive. Skippy is about $5 per bottle. Nutella is available, and marmite I think, but also expensive.
Nice rechargeable batteries. Most places only have a generic brand which works but isn’t as good for digital cameras. I couldn't find rechargeable Kodak batteries.
Battery charger I took a universal battery charger that works with all voltages, and it’s great!
Outlet adapter If you have one or find a universal outlet adaptor, it’s helpful. Otherwise, you’ll build up a collection pretty quickly as the first thing to do in each country is to get adaptors so you can use the outlets.
Volatage Regulator If you can get one for your computer cord, is good to have, as well as surge protector. They are available in India but not always easy to find, and electronic stuff is usually more expensive in India than the US or Thailand. A lot of stuff like that gets picked up in Thailand when anyone goes thru there as they have nicer stuff, the right voltage for India/Europe, and fairly cheap prices. You don’t want to plan on getting any expensive electronics in India, such as a computer or camera.
Cook book If you can cook, you can find the ingredients for most foods, just not the ready made stuff. So if you have the recipe for your American food from scratch, you can eat American style stuff for fairly cheaply. American style restaurants and ready made stuff are quite a bit more expensive.
Gifts You probably want to have a few gifts for people, especially adults. I’m still figuring out what works well. Usually lotion or beauty products for women, food for men. Chocolate, dried fruit, and tea packets (esp flavored or herbal) are suggestions I’ve seen a lot. I’m going to get a couple Missouri souvenirs which are obviously from the US.
Things not to take:
Mosquito repellent. It is widely available, though usually a low percentage of DEET. (Odomos)
Sunscreen. Widely available at any health and beauty store or pharmacy.
Books. I’m taking lots of books cause I already have them, but there are lots of great used book stores in Bangalore so you’ll be able to buy a lot of new & old titles here. So bring your favorites, but don’t worry that you won’t have enough to read!
Shampoo & Conditioner – lots of Western/European brands available at any local pharmacy or grocery store, including Garnier, Sunsilk, Loreal, etc. etc. I am taking enough for a few days but not using the weight for any more than I have to carry until I can buy some.
Other toiletries Most other toiletries are available including nice soaps, perfumes, powders, etc. Even hand wipes and hand sanitizer will be readily available in the city.
Contact Lens Solution – Renu and Bausch and Lomb widely available. I’m taking a few generic bottles ‘cause it’s cheaper here (almost $8-$10 a bottle there) and I have the weight. Regarding contact lenses: Eye exams are free. Contacts are about the same price, but only Bausch & Lomb available and Johnson & Johnson. So if you have another brand, you need to take it with you. Glasses, though, have lots of nice frames for much cheaper than US (I got frames for $60, lenses with no tinting or coating for $15 a lens).
Greeting Cards & stationary I was told to take greeting cards as they’re not available. Not only are they available, they are everywhere! Nice stationary is also available at Gangaram’s and Crossword, off MG Road. Some of the greeting cards are super sappy & therefore hilarious, some just weird, but normal ones available, too. J
Bedding -- You can get nice pillows, though non-cotton ones are a bit more expensive ($5 each). Sheets and household linens are easy to find and good quality, fairly inexpensive. Sometimes really nice towels are hard to find, though.
Pots & pans -- Unless you have an absolute favorite and weight to spare, nice pots and pans (and cheap pots and pans!) are readily available.
Underwear for men: Jockey and other world makes are available here in S. India
Shoes: I cannot buy any shoes large enough to fit me here
Chocolate: Hershey’s chocolate & chocolate chips, as well as Lindt and other leading brands are readily available in the Nilgiris
Office Supplies and Stationery: Readily available - good quality and good price
Spaghetti Sauce Seasoning & Taco Seasoning: Make your own! All ingredients and herbs (oregano, basil, etc.) are available, but may have a different name here. I.E. Basil is known as Tulsi
Cream Cheese: The milk we get is so creamy that you can skim off the cream to make your own butter, cream cheese, etc.
Coffee: Some of the world's best coffee is grown in India! Go to a coffee shop and they'll roast the beans to your liking!
I find that Non-black tea, Peanut Butter, Nice rechargeable batteries, Battery chargers, Outlet adapters and Voltage Regulators are readily available in S. India.
Bedding: We have not been able to find any really good quality pure cotton bed sheets in India
Pots & Pans: Not a problem, but where can you buy cake tins, bread tins, etc, in India?