I agree that almost everything you say rings absolutely true. What you have missed is the journey India has had to make in the past few decades. Written off as a hopeless overpopulated and famine stricken country that routinely begged for aid in the '70s, India has managed to survive and grow. Two hundred years of colonial exploitation takes more than just a few decades to overcome.

Most of the Indians you would have encountered would perhaps rightly seem to lack civic sense and responsibility but it is not true of everyone. There are a growing breed of citizens who are working to bring reform into basic municipality governance which would go a long way. These things take time for fruition but the wheels are in motion albeit slowly. 

India's prowess in technology is often exaggerated. It is true that given its meager resources it has been able to achieve commendable success in technology. But basic quality education is still a far cry for most Indians.

The hope lies in the fact that basic democracy, however flawed it maybe, is still strong enough to make most politicians accountable at some level to the citizens. Democracy also brings about social reforms. A leader from the 'untouchable' class is touted as the next Prime Minister. Several former Presidents have been Muslims and from the lower castes. I wonder if in my life time I will see a non-Muslim western country having a Muslim as head of state.

As long as each generation can enjoy opportunities and a have better shot at the future than the previous generation, I feel progress is being made. As this is true for the past two generations in India it is fuels optimism for the future.