Originally posted by: athai
I agree with most of the things you said. While I don't think Zaara should interfere in Kabeer's work unless he invites her to, Kabeer throwing her work in the trash can seemed a bit extreme to me as well. But yes, Zaara, in her desire to help her husband should not make him feel stifled. And letting your spouse take the lead and listening to your parents are in no way the same thing: Zaara and Kabeer are both obedient kids to their parents and parents-children dynamics are not the same as husband-wife dynamics.
Despite my financial independence, my contribution in my home is limited to buying things I wish to buy because my husband is adamant about paying the bills. He believes it is his responsibility and me being a feminist, I dragged chauvinism,complex etc etc all of it into our fights in the initial years of marriage. It took me a while to realize that this man I married let the world be mine: I stay over at my friends, stay out late, have a job i love, hate cooking, love travelling and he lets me be. He does a job he hates, shares all household chores with me, takes me to long drives because he loves them, expects me to watch marathon movies with him on Friday nights and wants to feel that he is being a good husband by paying the bills. Is that so much to ask for? He doesn't belittle me or hurt my self-respect in any way. He doesn't think cooking and cleaning is only my responsibility but he thinks paying bills is his. Is it so hard for me to let him be content?
We all need personal space and we all find our validation in different things. I find my validation in having a job, not the financial bit, the feeling of empowerment bit because all my life I was told how women are repressed everywhere by men. My job became my comfort zone, my voice, my strength to not let myself be oppressed.My husband finds it in making payments, it may sound silly but he is the happiest when I ask him to get me something as basic as chocolates instead of buying them myself.
I think Kabeer is in search of his identity, something worthwhile to him that validates his identity and Zaara is invading his personal space and retarding his growth in his mind. What I am confused about though is why is Zaara so desperate to make Kabeer's dream hers instead of letting him pursue and fulfill his dream the way he wants to. And what about her own dreams? Does she not have a vision for herself?