Best route for august

hi, i am going to india with one other friend for four weeks in august. we are flying in and out of delhi and are unsure about where we want to focus our trip on. The first option is to go to the north to himachal pradesh then to kashmir, maybe stopping off in rishikesh on the way. we may also try and go to rajasthan as well depending on time constraints.
the second option would be to go south to rajasthan mumbai and goa etc.
which option would be preferable in your opinions? two of the most important factors for us are the weather, we know it is the monsoon in the south in august but how hard is it to travel during the period?, and the ability to meet new people on the way, would one route be more social than another?
thanks for your help
john