So sorry for my late reply, I have been out of town and unable to get to the internet!

You asked me how one pays at the public phones in India.. if memory serves me well I believe I always paid in rupees.

Most of the public phones I used were in a small shop somewhere and I don't believe there was ever a time when I could have used credit cards. The system isn't the same as in europe where phone cards are plentiful. I don't believe they have the same type of service in India. At least I never saw it. I don't remember how much the calls were, but I remember them being extremely reasonable. And, you always see how much you are spending as you are talking. I have read that the best rates are from 11pm to 6am Indian time. It does depend on the time of day and of course, how long you talk. I try to never call from hotels, no matter where I am. There is almost always an enormous surcharge for making calls from your room.

Hope this helps! Jenni in sunny Chicago