Dear Chris, Malaka, Rafael:
Thank you for your inputs.
Varian does have a good HPLC line. In fact, the first HPLC I used in my life was a Varian LC 5020B. Cut my teeth on that nice HPLC system.
Sadly, as a customer today, I would seriously hesitate to purchase a Varian or recommend Varian to any of my clients, especially in my part of India.
Agilent is a fine HPLC. I don't know about their flow rates though. Last time I spoke to them, they said 1100 couldn't attain the flow rates I need, i.e. 500 ml/min or so. I'll check with them again.
I did visit the Laballiance website, thanks! Interesting options available. Unfortunately, Laballiance has several dealers in India, so one wonders about the technical backup they can offer, especially for a prep system. I will write to them for a quote.
I'll get in touch with Mr ALNMurthy separately, off-list.
Thanks again everyone.
S.K. Srinivas