whither art thou, democracy?

we are a democracy of a billion people. and pride ourselves on that fact. it's a cornerstone of a billion people's lives when they wake up in the morning.
in fact, it's a boasting point when we meet our neighbours(rare as that may be). but after 60 years of democracy, what we have been left with, is pretty much the same problems since independance.
poverty, uneducation, famine, floods, corruption are still with us. while development occurs with 33 % of the population, it happens at the expense of the 15 % of the populace, below poverty line.
what have been the major achievements since 1947?
we brought about a reservation system, ostensibly, to undo the damage caused by centuries of malpractices where birth was awarded more than ability. however, in the end result, what has happened is the opposite. more than ever now, if u wish to get into the elite colleges, despite having scored a modest 75 %, you had better be one of the oppressed people.
this takes place right from school, to college, to now, even jobs( if certain political parties had their way).
secondly, in a democracy, where any one has the right to stand up in an election, we have the absurd demand for 33% reservation for women, is this an acknowledgement by them, that they are unable to fight against the men, who subjugate them? is not the ballot more powerful than the gun? yet, politicans never lose an oppurtunity to pose for photos with women MPs and then proceed to hinder the progress of the bill.
thirdly, is it just me, or is there a visible lack of participation from the educated middle class in politics? all i see are a few good people, amongst a sea of rogues( harsh words, but true nevertheless). unless politics are cleansed of the dirt accumulated over the years, i don't see a change happening anytime soon.
our country need less of the raja bhaiyyas, and more of APJ and Manmohan singh. will that ever occur though?