The Saga of Shom and Raima

Bombay boy Shom leads a double existence. Suman Bhatia in real life marital pressures and work responsibilities have pushed him to seek another life as Shom. In this avatar he meets Raima Sengupta in a Facebook chat. When they meet he discovers that she is much younger but like him craving intellectual stimulation and freedom from restrictive social norms. Raima is a victim of a difficult childhood. After losing her father at the age of three she assumes charge of her ailing mother. Brought up by her maternal aunt as a teenager she fends off a sexual assault from her lecherous uncle. Now in her 20s she withstands family pressure to marry since she feels committed to Shom a married man himself. Both agree that despite the compatibility between them they must remain faceless to balance their relationship with social and professional responsibilities. This seems to be the only way out.Guiding them is their friend philosopher and guide Harry. Much older Harry has come a long way. From modest beginnings in post-colonial Calcutta where the liberal culture of the Anglo-Indians left a deep impression on his mind to the high jinks of the SoBo set in Bombay he has seen it all. Equipping himself with an engineering degree and setting up a manufacturing concern along the way his life has been an unqualified success. But there is more to his persona. A risk-taker he has always flirted with life and partaken of all the experiences it has to offer. Despite the lows that have followed the highs Harry has kept going. Often described as a love guru he has been free with his take on love and life that his friends seek. Be it his business partner Khush or the eternal soulmates Shom and Raima Harry has offered himself unconditionally to the people he cares for. As he says a relationship is an attachment but love is unconditional and free.The rollercoaster ride of a life these characters go through has all the makings of a saga. The saga of Shom and Raima with Harry playing the éminence grise.