Hyderabad: Golden Threshold — the former home of Sarojini Naidu — will soon be converted into a museum, literary and cultural hub. Renovation work on the building, an off-campus annexe of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), is almost complete, and it is expected to be handed over to the varsity within the next month or so.The announcement comes on a day the Telangana endowments department handed over a treasure trove of the legendary poet’s belongings — letters exchanged with prominent global figures, rare photographs with other key members of India’s Independence struggle, books and artefacts — to the varsity. The items will now be preserved at Golden Threshold, which was once Naidu’s home.“There is no literary space in the heart of the city. Given the extraordinary collection that we have now, the varsity is planning to turn the structure into a literary space and put these items on display for the public,” said Vinod Pavarala, professor emeritus, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, UoH.Pavarala, the first chairman of the committee overseeing the renovation of Golden Threshold, said the varsity now has to raise funds to set up the museum and cultural hub.“For renovation, we had some funds from Institutions of Eminence (IoE). We could bring back the old glory as it is now looking similar to what it used to look like when Naidu was staying here. But, to take up this project, we need more funds. The varsity is looking at CSR funds and also funds from both the state and central govts. The next step is to appoint a curator who will help in setting up the museum,” he added.Speaking about the collection that the varsity received from the state govt on Monday, during a special event, he said it included a box of letters exchanged between Naidu and Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s wife, among other things.J Anuradha, vice-chancellor of the varsity, recalled her days as a student at the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication when it functioned from Golden Threshold. Preserving the building, she said, had been a dream since then, and ever since the school shifted to the main campus in 2003, there had been a longing to see the space come alive again.Sheela Reddy, author and trustee of the Sarojini Naidu Trust, recounted how she discovered Sarojini Naidu’s letters and personal belongings in a building of Osmania Hospital, and went on to collect rare letters and artefacts associated with the towering poet and freedom fighter.
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