The Golden Threshold is an off-campus annexe of

University of Hyderabad The University of Hyderabad (UoH) is a prestigious public central research university located in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Established in 1974, this mostly residential campus has more than 5,000 students and 400 faculty, from ...

. It is named after the renowned Indian poet and political leader

Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu (Birth name, née Chattopadhyay) (; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist and poet who served as the first Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Governor of United Provinces, after Independence Day (India), Indi ...

's eponymous first collection of poems. The building was the residence of

's father Aghornath Chattopadhyay, the first Principal of Hyderabad College now Nizam College. During the Chattopadhyay family's residence, it was the centre of many reformist ideas in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, in areas ranging from marriage, education, women's empowerment, literature and nationalism. Specifically, the reformist ideas included more power for women in a time where politics in India, especially regional politics, was dominated by men. It also included ideas for involvement for women in the arts field. There were also many restrictions on marriage during this time period that persist to this day, such as inter-regional and inter-caste marriages. These ideas were progressive for the era, but brought a change in India in slow ways over time. Sarojini Naidu Ashes

Golden Threshold was named after Sarojini Naidu's very first collection of poetry published in 1905. It now houses Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication of

. University of Hyderabad has plans to restore the dilapidated structure and transform Golden Threshold into a museum-cum-cultural centre.

History

University of Hyderabad (1975-present)

In 1974,

Padmaja Naidu Padmaja Naidu (17 November 1900 – 2 May 1975) was an Indian freedom fighter and politician who was the 4th Governor of West Bengal from 3 November 1956 to 1 June 1967. She was the daughter of Sarojini Naidu. Early life Padmaja Naidu was born ...

had donated it to the government to be used for educational purposes. In 1975, Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

dedicated the Golden Threshold to its current owner, the University of Hyderabad. The social sciences and humanities programmes were run at the Golden Threshold. These were moved to the main campus in 1988. The Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication ran at the premises till 2003. Till recently Golden Threshold was listed as a protected heritage building under the Regulation 13 of the HMDA Act. As the Telangana Heritage Law does not incorporate the HMDA regulation, the Golden Threshold was stripped of its ‘protected’ tag. The building today is in dilapidated state.

References

{{reflist Tourist attractions in Telangana University of Hyderabad Museums in Hyderabad, India Educational institutions in India with year of establishment missing Sarojini Naidu