It is still a year to go before Jan Sangh ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya's birth centenary celebrations begin. But, the BJP has already got down to the task of drawing out plans to commemorate it.

From football matches to literature on his life, the party is planning a series of programmes across the country to familiarise people with its icon and his concept of "integral humanism" as against communism and capitalism.The party would not only underline his philosophy as being the basis for the organisation's ideology but also seek to decode its relevance in the contemporary world, 50 years after he propounded it.

The BJP's intellectual cell, which is anchoring the year-long celebration, is roping in organisations like those of Baba Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Vivekanda Kendra and Ramakrishna Mission for the centenary celebrations. "Its aimed at popularising his name, idea and placing the party on this ideological foundation of integral humanism, more of a left of centre philosophy which we believe is the ideology of the 21st century, particularly in the context of collapse of communism and failure of capitalism," said R Balashankar, convenor of the BJP's intellectual cell.

Besides the RSS, which is already commemorating 50 years of propagating integral humanism under an 80-organisation platform "Pragya Pravaha", the Deendayal Upadhyaya Research Institute (DRI), will also hold parallel centenary celebrations. Along with Upadhyaya's, the DRI will be celebrating the birth centenary of social activist Nanaji Deshmukh, who founded the institute in 1972. Prime minister Narendra Modi is expected to take time off campaigning in Maharashtra and Haryana later this week to launch six volumes of collected works of Deshmukh, whom he has described as a "paragon of simplicity, dedication and service".

"Nanaji had founded DRI to propagate integral humanism. The concept of sustainable consumption, sustainable production and sustainable development was propounded by Deendayalji around 40 years before the UNEP adopted it though it was not attributed to him. We need to tell the world," said Atul Jain, editor of DRI publications. The political philosophy, adopted by the Jan Sangh in 1965, revolves around swadeshi and morality in politics.At a rally in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections last year on September 25, Deendayal's birth anniversary, Modi had said that when the country celebrates his birth centenary in 2015-16, the BJP will be ruling in most states in the country. The party is fighting a crucial battle in UPA ruled states of Maharashtra and Haryana.

With its government in power at the Centre, it is bound to help the BJP in making the centenary celebrations a grand affair. The party has drafted a plan under which at least 300 programmes—around ten in each state—will be held through the year. The party is planning to tie-up with schools, institutes and other organisations to hold quiz and sports events like football and kabaddi matches besides launching more schemes in his name, sources said.

"One of the builders of the organisation, he spread its influence in north India in a big way. It was in his time that the idea of coalition government was conceived way back in 1967. All kinds of intellectual and physical activities are being contemplated during the centenary year," Balashankar said.