SPATIAL THEORY: HUMANITIES

My home is a three-bedroom apartment located within a contemporary gated community. Our domestic life is shaped by a unique spatial configuration. Each floor has been allocated two apartment units, of which the adjacent apartment remains an unoccupied refuge area. This leaves our family of four—my parents, my brother (currently pursuing higher studies in the United States), and myself, as the sole inhabitants of the entire floor. While this configuration offers a heightened sense of privacy and extended use of space, it also serves as a critical factor to analyze the aspects of caste, class, gender and also safety. The isolation of our apartment reinforces a class-based desire for privacy.

HOUSE PLAN

During the afternoon, my mother completes major house chores such as cleaning the vessels, carrying clothes from the washrooms till the washing machine, while simultaneously removing the washed clothes into a separate tub, and cleaning the kitchen. Post all her chores, she moves towards the main door and latches it, before going for her nap. This is the time of the day during which she is all alone at home, while me and my father are at college and office respectively. A maid and cook inhabit the house during late morning hours. She reasons that she feels somewhat unsafe during these hours, as we are the only occupants on the floor, and hence latches the main door as a move towards safety.

MOTHER'S MOVEMENT DURING THE AFTERNOON

Once upon a time, when certain guests or relatives used to arrive with their kids for a short visit, the kids would tend to often occupy the corridor to play games like cricket, knowing there was no one living next door. Even the adults, provided the knowledge, inhabit the house with more freedom. When I had to study, this would affect my movement. I would only move from the bedroom to the kitchen and back.