Dubbed as the only of its kind in the country, the centre being planned by the Society for the Preservation of Satyajit Ray films will preserve the maestro's films, sketches, scripts, film-posters, notebook and all other memorabilia for research and reference work.

Ray's son Sandip Ray, who is a talented filmmaker in his own right and one of the founder members of the Society, said all restored, digitized films, both features and short ones of his father, would be kept in a vault under regulated temperature.

There are plans to keep his sketches, scripts and other memorabilia of the master, including the Kheror Khata (scribblings on notebook), in separate enclosures with proper infrastructure for maintenance.

The films made by Ray in the 60s and 70s and retrieved digitally by the Academy of Motion Pictures (AMPI), US, would be kept in the vault under the supervision of AMPI professionals, Sandip said.

The films made by Ray post-80s were in better condition in film laboratories in the country and do not need rigorous digitized restoration procedures of the Academy.

"While 18-19 films of my father had to be digitally restored due to their condition, some other films' master prints are not in shape. We will bring all these works to the vault," Sandip said.

He said the restoration of Ray classic Kanchenjungha by the Academy was at its initial stage and needed time to complete.

Besides the films, databasing all works of Ray, his posters, his sketches, his scribbles, his literary drafts, were in progress for proper preservation at the complex to enable Ray aficionados to have a peek into his mind and thoughts, Sandip said.

The exhibits will also touch the musical side of Ray who was a gifted composer and had vast knowledge of western and Indian classical music, Sandip said.

"We are planning to have a seminar hall, a permanent exhibition gallery, a not-so-big auditorium having about 40-50 seats to screen films at times, besides the film vault and an archive for other memorabilia for Ray enthusiasts in the world," he said.

Land for the complex, which Sandip wished to set up within the city, is being searched. "We will prefer to have a structure where we can build facilities like a big apartment having close knit rooms," he said.

On funds for the project, he said the Society's CEO, Arup Dey, was exploring means of collection and talks were on in this regard.

"While there is an archive on my father with some digitized works in state government film complex Nandan, we intend to do it on a vast scale capturing the many facets of the genius of the man who sported the hats of director, producer, writer, composer, cinematographer and editor with equal panache.