Bhubaneswar, May 29: The digital campaign for Nabakalebar launched by the state government is gaining momentum. Within a fortnight of its launch, the number of people liking its Facebook page is increasingly rapidly and the number of followers on Twitter and viewers on YouTube are also escalating.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik launched the digital campaign on May 14. Along with launching the official portal of the festival, a user-friendly mobile application in Android, iOS and Windows platforms was also started. Besides, campaigning was also initiated through various social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google Plus.

At present, the Facebook page has over 35,000 likes. Interestingly, the page has gathered a lot of attention from youngsters. Around 61 per cent of the likes come from people belonging to the age-group 18 to 24 years.

"I came across the page when I was searching the Internet about the Jagannath daru. I went through it and found it quite informative. I liked it and also told my friends about it," said 27-year-old software engineer Ankita Mishra.

While 27 per cent of the likes have been gathered from people between the age group of 25 to 34, the remaining 12 per cent are from people above 35.

A number of posts regarding the various developments associated to the festival are updated on the Facebook page regularly. That apart, the day-to-day Nabakalebar rituals, along with interesting facts related to the grand festival, are also posted. To attract more followers, a number of innovative initiatives are also being taken.

"After the daru reached Puri, there was nothing much happening. So, we have started online quiz and exciting contests to keep the audiences engaged and simultaneously educate them about Nabakalebar," said Pratik Mohapatra, who currently heads the Prelude digital team, an extension of a Bhubaneswar-based organisation Prelude that drives the social media campaign.

The Twitter page has around 500 followers, including a number of foreigners and popular personalities such as Achyuta Samanta, Akash Das Nayak and Sudarshan Patnaik. The main purpose is to keep the online users updated on all the traditions and customs followed in the holy event of Nabakalebar. Details regarding events schedule, rituals, map, helpline numbers as well as various public utilities available during the event are also posted.

"Through the social media campaigns, we aim to reach out to a global audience through regular and real-time updates," said culture and tourism secretary Aravind Padhee.

The Nabakalebar mobile app has already been downloaded by more than 500 people. The app provides important information related to hotels, hospitals, transportation facilities, tourist points and hospitals, hotels, banks and ATMs and nearby places in Puri.

Santosh Kumar Kar, who has downloaded the app, said: "It is a good initiative to promote the Jagannath culture."

A number of videos related to the festival have been uploaded on the YouTube page with most of them having over 500 views. Some of the videos that are mostly viewed are the animation film on Nabakalebar by sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik and the one featuring eminent singer Prafulla Kar.

While a number of other pages have also been created on various online platforms, one needs to recognise the pages run by the government to obtain authentic information related to the festival. "We added the term 'official' to every page so users do n't get confused," added Pratik Mohapatra.