Proud moment: A theatre at Australia’s University of New South Wales has been named after an Assamese woman. This accolade is bestowed upon the late Annada Gohain. The Annada Gohain Theatre will replace Lecture Theatre G06 at the university’s CLB.
You may have noticed some new signs and names popping up around campus. 👀
Come with us for a quick glimpse of the newly launched Celebrating UNSW Women Trail, a digital and physical walk around our Kensington & Paddington campuses.👇 pic.twitter.com/SqFS6JXLQh
— UNSW (@UNSW) April 19, 2023
Cotton College awarded Annada Gohain a Chemistry Honours degree in 1948. She travelled to Australia in 1955 for a special two-year Food Technology programme offered by the University of New South Wales as part of the Colombo Plan.
Heartening to learn about @UNSW‘s gesture to name its theatre after Annada Gohain, the first woman to graduate from UNSW’s School of Chemical Engineering.
She was a trailblazer regarding women’s education and her story will continue to inspire women from across the world to… pic.twitter.com/YTDYbhgCID
— Ranoj Pegu (@ranojpeguassam) April 20, 2023
She stayed on after successfully completing the course until 1959 to do research that resulted in the award of her M.Sc. degree. Annada Gohain was the daughter of renowned educator Mahendra Nath Gohain of Nizarapar in Guwahati. Jitendra Nath Gohain, her spouse, died.
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Annada Gohain, was a Kharghuli resident, died on September 19, 2011, at the age of 81, in a private hospital in Guwahati. In 2007, she retired from the Assam Government as Additional Director (Agriculture).
Also Read: Remembering Aideu Handique: The First Woman To Act In Assamese Cinema
It is to note that Distinguished Late Annada was the elder sister of critic and scholar Dr Hiren Gohain.
In the official website of University of New South Walesh it is written that “Celebrating UNSW Women aims to increase the visibility of women across UNSW’s public, physical and digital spaces. This collaborative University-wide project is focused on ensuring better representation of the remarkable and diverse UNSW community. As a leading Australian university, we need to be guiding the way in gender equality. Renamed spaces you will see on the tour of the Kensington campus include:
• Anita B. Lawrence Centre
• Annada Gohain Theatre
• Catherine Harris Courtyard
• Clara Patricia Alfonso Theatre
• Diane Kell Theatre
• Eleonora Kopalinsky Lawn and more”
