I got a visa last year to India. India constantly changes the company that they subcontract visa processing to because the consumer complaints are so bad. It took 6 weeks and I’m in a city where I could process in person. In the last year they’ve cycled from Travisa to one other company to Coc and Kings. All those increase the likelihood of lost passports exponentially, and I read online about many such instances.
It was one of the more difficult visa experiences I’ve had, and I would absolutely NOT sail merrily along thinking I could wait til 4 days before. Have any of you who are proposing this option ever done it? Indian bureaucracy is terrible. It’s part of what Modi is trying to do to relieve it and make it easier for people to visit and companies to do business.