Australian university names theater after Assam personality Annada Gohain

In a proud moment for Assam, the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia, has named its theatre after Annada Gohain.

Gohain was the first woman to graduate from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) School of Chemical Engineering.

Assam education minister Ranoj Pegu, sharing the news on Twitter, wrote, “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 continue pursuing their dreams.”

The Annada Gohain theatre has replaced Lecture Theatre G06 inside the CLB.

The theatre was named after Annanda as part of UNSW’s initiative to celebrate the women of UNSC and the trailblazing alumni of the university, after whom 17 buildings and spaces have been renamed.

Annada Gohain, was born on 15 October, 1929 in North Guwahati to Mahendra Nath and Sarat Kumari Gohain. She completed her Intermediate (ISc) and BSc in Chemical Honours from Cotton College, Guwahati, in 1948.

After that, she received her MSc degree from UNSW on July 13, 1959. Her thesis was titled “Production of high-quality orange juice concentrate”.

In 1955, Annada travelled to Australia to take part in a specially created food technology course under the Colombo Plan.

After returning to Assam, Gohain was associated with the movement for food preservation through the community canning centre.

During her tenure as a Joint Director and Additional Director of Agriculture in the government of Assam, she set up 19 community canning centres for public use and education, most of which are still operational today.

She retired from the Assam government as Additional Director (Agriculture) in 1987.
Annada Gohain passed away in 2011, at the age of 82.

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