Hi there, I'm currently far from being in my dream job here in ireland and so I'm starting to think about taking a year (or 2) out to experience a new culture and perhaps do some study. Does anyone have any idea how much savings I would need per year to live modestly in India? Which regions would be best? or any other pointers would be most welcome. thanks in advance

India is a vast country with different climate conditions at different times of the year. You really need to do some extensive reading and research. Plenty of books around eg 'Lonely Planet', to make a decision as to where you would like to visit and when. The only advice to give now is not to plan too much at the start. Wait and see how you get on.
You will get a 6 month tourist visa, (unless you are of Indian origin). Costs depend on how you want to travel and the standard of accommodation you need.

Study: what would you want to study? a student visa would be a possibility if you are accepted at a recognised institution for study.

If you make a tentative plan, many on the Forum can advise you as to details.

Hi Graham

Welcome to the India forum.
My advice would be to decide firstly what it is you want to study, or what things you want to see and do whilst there as that may identify the best area to base yourself within India.
It is not so easy to 'live' there for a year or two unless you have Indian origin.
You are likely to be allowed a 6month tourist visa, but you have to leave and stay out of India for 2 months after that.
Indian friend has put a great guide about Pune on the wiki, and will be adding guides to other cities soon, so keep an eye out for these as they give a short overview. Research by you is really the key.
All the best with it

Dread - x

Hello Graham

Pune is a great place to study and live. There are several Institutions that offer diverse courses depending upon your interest. Try these Universities for a start :

University of Pune http://www.unipune.ac.in/

Symbiosis University http://siu.edu.in/HTML_SIU/index.php

VIT http://www.vit.edu/

Bharti Vidyapeeth http://www.bharatividyapeeth.edu/default.htm

Dr D.Y.Patil Vidyapeeth http://www.dpu.edu.in/

Fees at Symbiosis are little higher than others but the standard is also very good. Actually the best, IMHO.

Accommodation around places of learning is available in all types, single, sharing and also B&B types. Very reasonable. You can PM me for any specific queries.

As Dread mentioned look up Pune City Guide here http://britishexpats.com/wiki/India_City_Guides

Cheers

You could also look at www.indiamike.com
hope they will let me post this, great site for all things Indian
India is a great place, but you do need to be clear of your purpose and yes you can live cheaply but this is very dependent on where you live.

Hello Graham,

You can look to places like,
Banglore,
Pune,
Mumbai.
Agreed to what pennylessinindia posted
"India is a great place, but you do need to be clear of your purpose and yes you can live cheaply but this is very dependent on where you live."

Cheers and have Luck!!

Pl. consider IIM, Nirma, DDIT and DDPU all situated in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. As per Times of India - Leading Newspaper Top City to live in India. Very cheap compared to all other places in India.