अपना घर

Summary

The text follows Amīna, a woman who has lived in a rented room for five years, though the house belongs to her mother. She tells employers she will return to her own home one day, causing them to hesitate to hire her. She eventually finds work in several houses, but struggles when asked where her home is, as she has lived with her sister, aunt, brother, and mother. She decides to say she lives in Dhobighat, a large area where she could plausibly reside. Amīna was married at seven and moved to her husband's home, where she was overwhelmed by the women. She used to play with a skipping rope, but stopped when reminded that women should not run. She hid the rope in a dark niche. She often feels a strange sensation in her body, as if she is in a dark well, and finds it peaceful that no one else can enter it. She sometimes forgets she no longer lives in her old home and calls out for her children. She is asked to lock a house and leave the key with a neighbor, but refuses, fearing she will be blamed if anything goes wrong. She recalls being blamed for everything that broke or went missing in her husband's home, and being beaten daily. She left the house one day and felt relief at the open sky and air. She was told by everyone that she should return to her home, as it is a home. She returned, but the beatings resumed. She left again and found work. She is often seen in wet clothes, and an employer asks if she is not cold. Amīna says she has become accustomed to it. As her pregnancy nears, she is taken back to her husband's home to give birth. The child dies, and she has an operation. She is given heavy work upon returning. She contemplates the walls of the house, which seem to be closing in on her.