The Domestic and the National

    Comparing Dhoop Kinare to Humsafar I found an interesting contrast. The drama of today deals primarily with the domestic, with the outside world also functioning only in terms of how the domestic is affected by it. In Humsafar if Khirad intrudes outside of the home it is only to show the repercussion such an act can have on the home space, even conversations in public spaces concern them selves with the happenings of the private space. By doing so the national and domestic become one, in that the regulation of the national space can only occur by controlling the domestic one. In sharp contrast to Humsafar is Dhoop Kinare, where the public and private function as separate entities and the problems of the domestic do not intrude into the public sphere. The characters of this drama have aspirations other that what is exclusively concerned with the home, and the female character’s desires to work or not work are in no way related to how such a decision will eventually effect the home.

    This concept of the domestic and the national as separate units is further highlighted in the drama as the female figure venturing outside of the house are never reminded how any action they take will effect the “izzat” or “sharaafat” of their family. In fact conversations around female mobility, such as the one between Anji’s father and mother concerns its self only with how Anji studying art might effect the business her has built. In contrast to this Khirad in Humsafar knows that she is supposed to conduct herself in a certain manner outside the house for it will reflect on her home.