When Chennai’s waterways inspired an Australian PM in 1890

The city of Chennai, or in this case, Madras, holds a place of pride in the heart of Australians, not just because of the obvious love for cricket shared by people from both sides, but due to the historical wisdom in water sciences shared between India and Australia, through a mutually beneficial transfer of knowledge that dates back to more than 100 years.

The relationship between the two nations blossomed on the basis of this scientific exchange way back in the late 1800s, when Alfred Deakin, Australia’s second Prime Minister visited South India in 1890, the then Madras Presidency. According to research, Deakin got a chance to visit India in 1890 when the proprietor of The Age, David Syme, invited him on a visit to inspect India’s irrigation programme. Deakin accepted with alacrity as irrigation was one of his many enthusiasms. Though the trip has been described as a ‘two month dash’, it resulted in Deakin’s two books on India, 

Irrigated India: An Australian View of India and Ceylon, Their Irrigation and Agriculture and Temple and Tomb in India, both published in 1893. The publications confirmed his reputation as a keen student both of Indian religions and the British Raj, interests that have sometimes been overlooked. Australia and India’s long history of collaboration in water science will be showcased in a photographic exhibition titled, ‘Water Science: Journeys from Australia to Madras’. 

Giving us an overview of what the exhibition entails, Anu Thampi, the Public Diplomacy Manager, Australian Consulate-General, Chennai, tells us, “This exhibition is aimed at taking audiences back to the late 19th century into the world of Deakin, who travelled the world to pursue his passion for irrigation and water sciences. The exhibition offers vignettes on Deakin’s stint in Madras. The exhibition also showcases leading irrigation and water sciences projects in India and Australia, In fact, the Australian Consul General for South India, Sean Kelly, has a special interest in the field of water sciences and irrigation, and he has been actively involved in many supporting many such collaborative projects in India too.