quality of life in india

Ever since I've returned to india, I've tried to put my finger on what really constitutes "quality" of life. Does this depend on factors within our control ? Does a good standard of living ensure a good quality of life ? Does the measure of quality depend on the person ?
The answer seems to be that QOL, being a subjective measure of the well being of an individual, is an amalgam of these. Its essential to have a good living standard (economic, health,social, environmental) to begin with - these factors can be measured in terms of average incomes, access to medical care, pollution free air and water etc., and most of the time, life in india revolves around satisfying these basic needs. However, the degree to which we are free to pursue activities in the other levels of the hierarchy of needs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow) is a measure of QOL.
I've looked at various definitions and studies by organizations that research this field, and liked these defns of QOL --

• The degree to which a person enjoys the important possibilities of his/her life - Quality of Life Research Unit, University of Toronto
• The best way of approaching quality of life measurement is to measure the extent to which people's 'happiness requirements' are met - ie those requirements which are a necessary (although not sufficient) condition of anyone's happiness - those 'without which no member of the human race can be happy.' -McCall, S.: 1975, 'Quality of Life'

So, what makes the QOL in India suffer ? Our standard of living ! We're too busy trying to earn higher incomes hoping that this would liberate us, but think about this - If you owned a ferrari, where would you drive it ? If you owned a beautiful lake side mansion, can you avoid the dirt and pollution when you step outside ?
The other intangibles that add to QOL are far too insignificant in this place and time -- spending quality time with your kids in quiet sorroundings, taking a walk on a clean sidewalk in the morning, breathing the fresh morning air laden with the scent of flowers that bloom on the tall, shadowy trees above, space in your apt complex for the kids to run around, being able to walk on the street without bumping into someone, getting a doc's appt when you need to see him/her and not when he's free ...