Here are just a few media sources to get your feet wet...

NOVELS
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
A God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
The Age of Kali by William Dalrymple
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Maximum City by Suketu Mehta

GUIDEBOOKS
Footprints India Handbook (takes 4 weeks from Amazon, but is worth it!)
India by Lonely Planet (Sept 2005)
Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra by Lonely Planet (Oct 2005)
India by DK Eyewitness Travel Guides

MOVIES
Bride and Prejudice
Bend It Like Beckham
Bhaji on the Beach
Monsoon Wedding
Kama Sutra
Mississippi Masala
Salaam Bombay
A Passage to India
City of Joy
Lagaan
Gandhi

ONLINE RESOURCES
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/india
www.rediff.com
www.khoj.com
http://www.indianrail.gov.in/
http://www.indiatourism.com/rajasthan-tourism/
http://india-tourism.com/
http://samode.com/