I wonder what the statistics of the US looked like, say 1936. I wouldn't be surprised in school enrollement was dropping or that 1/5 people where chronically hungry that a good amount lived on less than a dollar a day. Within 10 years of all that we were a superpower. Sure it's not an exact parallel and the world is a lot different now but if a large-scale world conflict erupts that threatens India directly, I wouldn't bet against them rising up and meeting the challenge.
"I wonder what the statistics of the US looked like, say 1936. I wouldn't be surprised in school enrollement was dropping or that 1/5 people where chronically hungry that a good amount lived on less than a dollar a day."
There may have been some truth to what you are saying here but that was a temporary situation in US History. Previous to that the US didn't have the highest standard of living but it was better than India or China has dreamed of in the modern age. The level of people constantly hungry and malnourished was relatively low.
The literacy rate for Americans in the late 18th century was close to 100%. People were taught to read by family, primarily by reading the Bible. The literacy rate was much higher back then, before compulsory education was put in place; compulsory education was not initiated to solve the problem of illiteracy because that wasn't a problem.