Bhubaneswar, Aug. 16: The state government has planned to celebrate the birth centenary of poet Sachidananda Routray this year in a big way.

To mark the occasion, the Odisha Sahitya Akademi will launch a number of books at an event in the end of September.

Two volumes of his poetry spanning over 18 anthologies of poems will be published. A special edition of Konark, published by the Akademi, on the poet will also be launched. This apart, an anthology of Routray's poems, which have been translated into English, will also be a part of the publications. Sangram Jena and Arbind Behera will do the translation of the poems.

"Considered as a poet of the people, Routray's prime characters were the farmers, daily wage earners, labourers and the downtrodden lot. The British had banned many of his poems because of their revolutionary tone. The youngsters should know about his contributions," said Akademi secretary Ashwini Mishra.

Routray, a revolutionary poet, has penned poems, short stories and novels for more than half a century. Born at Gurujang near Khurda in 1916, he started writing poetry at the age of 11.

Also, a special book incorporating the most popular poems by Routray and articles and poems written by others on the Padma Shri awardee will also be released on the occasion.

"There will be 32 poems of Routray in the book and around 30 poems by other writers. A special preface, to be written by Hrushikesh Mallick and Prasanna Mohanty, has also been planned for the book," said Mishra.

A number of events have been planned at the government colleges and universities to mark the occasion. Besides, the Akademi has initiated steps to promote literature of veteran writers among the common people. They have upgraded the library on its premises to attract more readers.

An English translation of Nilamani Sahoo's Abhisapta Gandharba, considered as one of the finest works in Odia literature, will also be released.

The Akademi has also plans to organise frequent meets between Odia writers and the people living outside the state with a view to promoting the language in various places across the country.

"We have also planned to publish a dictionary in Sambalpuri language. Also, two volumes of Odia grammar will be created. Plans are also on to digitise them. The motto is to enrich Odia language as much as possible," said Mishra.

The Akademi was set up way back in 1957 to work actively for the development of Odia literature and set high literary standards.