Holi (representational image) | Photo Credit: PTI

A Pune- based couple was in for a shock of a lifetime when a casual photograph shared social media transformed into a meme that went viral on the internet. The woman, who was wearing a white kurta, had posted a photograph in which her husband had left a coloured handprint on her chest. Soon after posting, the couple started getting calls from friends and relatives that their picture had gone viral on social media and memes of the two were being circulated.

"We started getting calls about the viral image on Saturday evening. Since then, we are in distress. Although I take full responsibility for uploading the post, I would never have thought it would be disseminated in such a cheap manner. We are angry about what happened, but we are certainly not scared. We are ready to fight anyone who thinks it is okay to spread around our private photo accompanied by disgusting messages,” the woman was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror.

The couple filed a complaint with the cyber cell and also contacted Facebook, Instagram, and admins of several pages and groups to curb the circulation of the photograph. While a reply from Facebook is still awaited, Instagram replied saying that the picture did not violate their guidelines. “After this incident, we feel one should think twice before posting anything on personal social media. But we also know that those circulating this image have invaded our privacy, which is not right. Such things happen, and one should not feel guilty or punish oneself — instead, these unfair things can be fought via the right channels,” Mumbai Mirror quoted the husband as saying.

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“This incident has been a true eye-opener about facing such a bizarre predicament. Online world does not understand how much they are hurting you by participating in such picture-sharing on social media. I am strong enough to deal with this and I have support, but there are many who may not — those who are unaware about how these memes go viral must be blaming themselves pretty badly,” the woman was quoted as saying by the paper.