Social media turns blue in memory of Sonika Chauhan

Last April, model Sonika Chauhan lost her life in a car crash. There were allegations of drink driving against actor Vikram Chatterjee, who was at the wheel that fateful night. Though the case is still sub-judice, Sonika’s friends started a campaign around Holi — Colour Yourself Blue — to spread awareness against drink driving. The campaign has caught on like wildfire on social media what with common people taking part along with celebs from different walks of life.
The campaign was started a week before Holi by Shaheb Bhattacherjee, Sonika’s fiancé, in association with a foundation that was started in the model’s name last year.“The campaign organically reached out to a lot of people, which is very encouraging. I am personally not against drinking, but the moot point of this initiative is to see that one’s fun doesn’t become tragedy for another. There was tremendous feedback on social media and now we’ll have to find out from Kolkata Police if there were lesser accidents related to drinking driving on Holi,” said Shaheb.

Explaining the name — Colour Yourself Blue — the actor said blue, apart from being a robust colour that has also become symbolic of this city, was also Sonika’s hot favourite. “Every year, we used to celebrate Holi on my rooftop where youngsters would gather in hordes. Last year Sonu was out of town on work and I didn’t party. This year too, there were no celebrations,” recalled Shaheb.
Anindya Chatterjee, a friend of the couple, said two years back, it was a celebration to remember. “I am against playing with colours, so Sonika drenched me with a bucket of water. We would spend every Holi together,” he said. Rajdeep Gupta, another friend of the duo, said Shaheb and all their friends were in talks about spreading awareness against drink driving. “We were waiting for the right occasion. So, just ahead of Holi, the campaign was started. Personally, my friends and I would always hail a cab while returning from a party,” he said.

Another director to have lent support to the cause is Onir. He recently worked with Shaheb in Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz. “Apart from being friends, I totally believe in this campaign. People risk their own lives and also of their near and dear ones by driving in a drunken state. This happens during Holi a lot and am happy to have done my bit to spread awareness,” said Onir. Social media users and friends of Sonika updated their profile pictures with a touch of blue — in the backdrop, foreground or even as a dot — in memory of the model. It’s already a rage.