The girls as a portrait of community
The friendships may wane and wax as life takes these characters on journeys of their own, but ultimately, the time they shared keeps them connected. They are a community, and the symbolism of that community suggests the need for people in one's life. Instead of facing life on their own, they can return to their friendships with updates about their lives, and that helps them to be successful. The community is an essential part of their joy.
Sunita as a symbol
Sunita's life takes her toward success, but then when she falls in love with Akaash, her grades fall at her university. Her journey symbolizes the sacrifice that a woman sometimes makes to accept the role of a wife and mother. Instead of having a career and a journey of her own, she stops attending classes, marries her boyfriend and has kids with him. Her life symbolizes something archetypal about motherhood and self-sacrifice.
Tania as a symbol
If Sunita represents the standard ideas about womanhood and the traditional role of a woman in a family, then Tania represents the brokenness of that model, because by ignoring those typical assumptions about womanhood, she attains a successful career and financial independence. Her relationships suffer though, so Tania and Sunita are each enjoying what the other doesn't have.
Chila as a symbol
Chila is another symbol for womanhood. Her story is not about true love or a passionate career. Instead, she marries Deepak, a person she loves but doesn't completely understand. She learns that Deepak's history is more serious than she knew, and she realizes that he has even slept around with Tania. He represents the womanizer, making Chila into just another failed relationship. She suffers with self-esteem because he uses her as an object. Her journey represents his misogyny.
The motif of hope or hopelessness
The goal of these ladies is to pick a strategy for having a happy, meaningful life, but they all succeed and fail in their own way, showing through motif that hope is not circumstantial. Tania is the most free from social constructs, but Tania also suffers from loneliness and the desire for a family. Sunita has what Tania wants, but she wants what Tania has, and Chila picked a dud for a husband. By remembering their friendships, though, they can rally together for hope, because their stories can be shared amongst one another.
