I understand India has a stellar (heh) space program as well as a decently sized military, but why haven't they emerged as one of the worlds top powers like China has? I don't even hear about India in the news.
Just a quick reminder to OP and potential respondents of this subreddit's "20-year rule" against discussing current affairs: please restrict answers to events and conditions up to 1997 only. Thanks!
OP, if you're looking for analysis of more recent decades, consider x-posting to /r/geopolitics.