The Nehrus gave India time - consider Pakistan, which has had no scientific revolution, or Iran, which hardly had one educated generation. But here's the dreadful irony of societies starting from a low economic or cultural base - the minute men's lot improves at all and they have their eyes opened, then they learn anger. Mingled with religion, it's a very explosive mixture - possibly suicidal. The Sikhs, whose demand for autonomy led to the present crisis, were quite a prosperous, flourishing group. The target of Sikh autonomy is a kind of silliness, just not realistic.
Religion is probably less important than regionalism.
There is trouble in the Hindu south and in the northeast. There is trouble among the city poor of Bombay. So a crisis like this would have come one way or the other. As dangerous as religious or regional fanaticism is the dreadful Marxist simplicity, which attacks the newly educated and could undo all India's advances. Nobody knows what will follow Mrs. Gandhi's assassination.