The Indian government has been liberal by letting folks with Indian roots to be able to be a part time Indian.
One would normally apply for an OCI after attaining citizenship of the host country they are residing in.
Although you may not be a Dual-Citizen, you are treated no less than an ordinary citizen.
The good think about having an OCI is it lets you travel between your host country (please verify with the closest Indian mission, if they offer OCI for your host country) and India freely as long as you have a valid passport of your host country.
The process took me close to 4 months. It was a ton of paperwork, in triplicate (which could have very well been avoided in this digital age) for each member of my family of 4. What really bothered me the most in the whole process is that I had to attest on every photo copy that it is a legitimate copy (My photocopies amounted to 30 A4 sheets + the photocopies for my kids (60)).
A good costly thing that the Indian government (Or is it just the Home Ministry?) have done is surrendering your Indian Citizenship along with this application (for those who naturalized into their host country).
In the US, the Indian Embassy nor Consulates do not accept OCI applications directly. It has to come through an agent, who methodically acquire your paperwork and and pass it on to the Embassy or Consulate. They provide you with tracking number to see the status of the application online. (Travisa)
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