The pillars are green with moss, the air smells of dampness, portions of the ceiling have flaked off and vegetation is growing out of the walls of the building known as Golden Threshold in the Abids area. The birthplace of the University of Hyderabad and the place which poet Sarojini Naidu called home is still awaiting a restoration effort.
“We are giving the conservation and restoration work to the Central Public Works department. They will begin the work soon. Till then we are not allowing anyone inside,” said an official of the university unwilling to go on record.
Only three years earlier, there was air of optimism as the building was set to be restored and turned into a cultural hub in the heart of the city. “Monsoon and water ingress has affected the building. The delay in restoration is only making things worse,” said another university staffer.
The first attempt to upgrade and adaptive reuse of the building was made in 2011 when the then registrar C.P. Mohan of UoH contacted the Architectural Heritage department of INTACH and a detailed project report (DPR) was submitted. The effort was revived nearly a decade later in January 2020.
The new DPR, accessed by this reporter, shows the grim reality of the building. It pegs ₹12,19,107 for demolition work of the additional structures that have been added over a period of time. These range from the ramp to toilet F, room C, room E, room L, room S, room R, room O, room H, room P and room Q. It also calls for removing the additional partition walls.
The cost of complete restoration and upgrade has been pegged at ₹3,57,74,720. “The building has jack arch ceiling which uses iron girders at some places and wooden girders in others. The vegetation is growing out of walls. Even the flooring has sunk in places. The flooring of the big hall behind the drawing room has sunk,” says an official who accessed the building recently. One of the reasons for the moisture in the building is the use of bitumen on the lime concrete roof to prevent seepage.
The Golden Threshold building was donated by Sarojini Naidu’s daughter Padmaja Naidu and in November 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi laid the foundation for University of Hyderabad. <EP>The university was part of the 1973 six-point agreement in the aftermath of the Telangana Agitation.
