Australian Consul General to South India, Sarah Kirlew talks space tech, cricket and navigating a new Tamil vocabulary

With several developments between India and Australia, including an ISRO and Australia Space Agency collaboration, this candid chat, tells us about what else is in store to boost bilateral relations
Australian Consul General to South India, Sarah Kirlew
Australian Consul General to South India, Sarah Kirlew

South India recently got its first direct flight to Australia. And this came fresh on the heels of a collaboration between ISRO and the Australia Space Agency to boost bilateral relations in space tech. With so many recent developments in Australia-India relations, Sarah Kirlew is just the woman to talk to. The Australian Consul General to South India tells us there is plenty more in store on her calendar, including a second Australian Consulate General for the South in Bengaluru. Over a delightful tête-a-tête, we chat about the highlights of her stay in Chennai so far, her love for cricket, and her passion for Indian textiles. Excerpts:

How has Chennai been treating you, so far?
This is actually my second posting in India; previously my husband and I lived in New Delhi. We were actually there between 2008 and 2011. And when the opportunity came up, we were actually excited to choose to come back to the South of India. We came in 2021 unfortunately; a lot of that first year was troubled by COVID-19. However, these last eight to 10 months when the city has opened up, we’ve been able to travel and make the most of things.

Are you able to get any of the comfort foods that you loved from back home, here in Chennai?
There are two things I have people bring me when they visit from Australia — the first is Vegemite which is a kind of yeast-based spread and the other is Tim Tams — which is a very widely known Australian biscuit.

What on the Australian Consulate calendar are you most looking forward to?
For me, it’s a really exciting time in the bilateral relationship. For us, here in South India, one thing I am really looking forward to is that we’re going to open a second Consulate General for the South in Bengaluru. It’s happening gradually and by next year, it will be fully staffed which means that we will have double the resources — just focused on the South of India. Also, I think, there are just some big things on the calendar coming up like the T20 Cricket that’s happening here, while back in Australia we’re having the big cricket season in October and November.

Are you a cricket enthusiast?
How can you be in India and not care about cricket, right? I am a cricket fan and I think it’s a really important glue between our two countries. It ties us together in so many ways. And actually, the IPL has made that even closer with so many Australian players who come here and participate.

With the World Cup coming up, who are you rooting for?
Oh, Australia of course! They would make me hand back my diplomatic passport if I said India (laughs).

There is a new flight from Bengaluru to Sydney. Talk to us more about how travel between our two countries is becoming more accessible.
I was lucky to be at the Bengaluru airport recently when that first Qantas flight touched down. And it actually brought a little tear to my eye to see it because it’s such a big development to have that first direct commercial flight between Sydney and Bengaluru. The flight time is about 11 hours which is pretty similar to the flight time to London. In Australia, we have a million people of Indian origin, that’s four percent of our population. But more than six lakh of those people are first-generation immigrants. And for them, being able to travel back and forth with no stops just makes it so much easier to visit family and friends.

It’s been all over the news about ISRO and the Australian Space Agency collaborating. Give us a peek into what they are working on?
Isn’t international space so exciting? I think it really captures everyone’s dreams and imaginations. Australia was the partner country at the Bengaluru Space Expo. And we signed seven MoUs on things like launch sites, geo-spatial data and so forth. In fact, there is an Australian company that makes these solar cells which are ten times more efficient than what is on the market. And they are looking at partnering with Indian companies that manufacture satellites, so that we can together make a better kind of satellite that has a longer life span in space.

You also launched a five-year action plan to accelerate economic integration between Australia and India. Could you elaborate on this?
We’ve had two big economic developments in the relationship this year. The first is our countries signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade agreement, essentially a Free Trade Agreement in April. And this will broadly reduce the tariffs that are charged on products. And then, the other part is the update to our India Economic Strategy that was released in 2018. It has 10 sector focuses and 10 state focuses. Things are moving so fast, it needed updating. Like you just asked me about space — that was a new chapter we added because there’s new commercial potential there.

Have you picked up some Tamil?
I did want to learn Tamil since I moved here. A little bit like vanakkam, nandri, eppadi irukinga? But I have to admit where I use it the most is when I am getting a Swiggy or Amazon delivery and I have a set phrase, where I say: ‘Enaku Tamil theriyadhu. Konjum wait pannangu’ which then gives me some time to find someone who can translate about what has happened to my parcel (smiles).

What about India would you like to take back home?
I have a really deep passion for Indian textiles — the beautiful colours, the clever handloom weaving, the huge variety... one of my favourite dresses is actually one I had made from a green ikat sari. And then the other thing, of course, is food. So it’s a goal for me to learn to cook really good idlis before I leave Chennai. I love how soft and pillowy and comforting they are.
 

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