Sarojini Naidu’s Will, Letters Preserved At UoH

HYDERABAD: The will of freedom fighter and poet Sarojini Naidu and a collection of her personal letters and artefacts will be preserved by the University of Hyderabad (UoH), with the documents formally handed over to the university as part of its efforts to revive the historic Golden Threshold. The building, named after Sarojini Naidu’s first collection of poems, was donated by her daughter Padmaja Naidu to be used for educational purposes.

The documents and artefacts were transferred to the UoH under a Telangana government order dated Feb. 9, 2026, and were presented to UoH Vice‑Chancellor Prof. J. Anuradha at Golden Threshold in Abids on Monday.

The handover is significant for the university as Golden Threshold housed the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication before it shifted to the main campus in 2003, a UoH official said.

Prof. Anuradha recalled her days as a student of the school when it functioned from Golden Threshold. Preserving the heritage building had been a long‑standing dream, she said, adding that the restored space could now be brought back into active use.

Author Sheela Reddy, Sarojini Naidu Trust trustee, spoke about discovering Naidu’s letters and personal belongings in a building of Osmania Hospital and subsequently collecting rare material associated with her. She also recalled Golden Threshold’s association with national leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, and Naidu’s role in the freedom struggle as the first woman president of the Indian National Congress.

The university also felicitated those involved in preserving and renovating Golden Threshold, including Reddy, retired IAS officer and trustee Papa Rao, Prof. Vinod Pavarala, Dr Shaik Jeelani and former university engineer Col. Ch. Hanumantha Rao.

The programme concluded with a guided tour of the restored building, where guests viewed the preserved artefacts and restoration work.