Has anyone got any tips on how to get one of these cheaply, simply and quickly?

I have googled it but i don't really know what i'm looking at.

Thanks

What you need to do is contact the Indian visa offices or apply online etc.

If you're in a rush you could pop over to Birmingham with your passport /ID and fill in the forms there and then-get your visa in 3hrs-5hrs.

I did this for a pal-drove him there to jewelers section, filled in form, picked waiting ticket, went walkied in the city centre and came back 4 hrs later to pick up visa.

http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/

Don't do it by post, take it in and then collect – son's was next day.

I live in cornwall so going and collecting one is not really an option.

How long do they take online or by post?

The foreign office website is normally your best bet for this sort of information

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/asia-oceania/india?ta=entryRequirements&pg=4

http://www.fco.gov.uk/content/en/contact/asia-oceana/dl-india

Give the Indian Consulate a call tomorrow and ask them for advice.

You'll be lucky to get a sensible answer from the Consulate, they refer you to vfsglobal.
If you have to apply by post track the special deliveries there and back, and be prepared to spend time on the expensive helpline! Sorry if I sound cynical, my son's new passport and Indian visa went missing using the postal service but nobody bothered telling us….

its no problem by post but the online form etc is a nightmare. fill in form, print then pay for visa, plus **** agents fee (cant buy direct from indian high commission anymore, theyve farmed it out to vsf-global) plus pay for postage and send form and passport to them, nearly £50 all in. turn around is pretty good. OR you can book a time online to do it over the counter in an office that relates to your postcode(check site) they still only post and dont do them on the day. gone are the days of turning up at any high commission and doing it on the day. get the visa thing rolling 2 weeks before going at least. if you get stuck mail me as ive done these so many times it hurts.

when i got mine (10 years back) i went to the indian embassy in london,handed my passport over & returned 3 or 4 hours later to collect, can't remember how much.. Lonely planet would be a good book to look at