Leaving after research, returning as a tourist

Hi all,

I have had an Indian RESEARCH visa for the last three years. It expires in May. After my research is done, I would like to come back for tourist purposes. I understand that there is a rule for TOURISTS that they must leave the country for two months before they can apply for another tourist visa. I checked with VFS (the folks who now do India's visa processing in London) and they told me that this rule does not apply in my case. They said that I can go to a third country and apply for an Indian tourist visa the moment my research visa expires. However, they could not confirm whether or not the Kathmandu mission is one that would be able to do this for me, and I've been unable to reach them. Does anyone have any recent experience of leaving India upon the expiration of their resident's visa and applying for a tourist visa from Kathmandu? Or anywhere else in the South Asia region (e.g. Sri Lanka), for that matter?

Thanks!

Robin