A series of programmes — seminars, discussions, publication of a book and a lecture — has been lined up to celebrate the birth centenary of poet and author Nirendranath Chakravarti.

A two-day programme will be held at the Sahitya Akademi office on DL Khan Road on February 18 and 19.

A book on Chakravarti will be released as part of Akademi’s Makers of Indian Literature Series on the first day. A documentary on the poet will be screened the next day.

Writer Madhav Kaushik, president of Sahitya Akademi, will attend the two-day programme.

Chakravarti was born on October 19, 1924.

A committee — Kabi Nirendranath Chakravarti Jonmo Satoborsho Udjapon Committee — has been formed to mark the centenary of the poet. The committee members include Chakravarti’s family members — daughters Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee and Siuli Sarkar, and son Krishnarup Chakravarti — and author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay.

Ministers Bratya Basu and Indranil Sen are among the members.

“We have planned to publish a book on the life, times and works of Chakravarti. Eminent historian Dipesh Chakrabarty will deliver a lecture on Nirendranath Chakravarti in the context of history,” said Alapan Bandyopadhyay, the poet’s son-in-law, former chief secretary of Bengal and currently chief advisor to chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Bandyopadhyay is involved in planning the celebrations.

Pashchim Banga Bangla Akademi will provide the necessary support to the committee in organising the programmes. Chakrabarti was president of the Bangla Akademi from 2003 till 2011. The family, however, will bear all expenses.

The speakers at a news conference on Tuesday where the programmes were announced said that though Chakravarti is remembered primarily as a poet, he was also a brilliant prose writer, translator and an essayist. His works on Bengali spelling has enormous influence on the language.

Author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay said Chakravarti was like a guardian to him. “I have lived in the hostel and mess since my young days. I had no one around me who was my own. It was editors like Chakravarti who became my guardians,” he said.