What will happen to 'Keralite' if Kerala renamed 'Keralam'? Tharoor
What's the story
Thiruvananthapuram Congress MP Shashi Tharoor hilariously reacted to reports that Kerala could soon be renamed Keralam. He wondered how people from 'Keralam' would now be addressed, since, up until now, denizens from the state were referred to as Keralites or Keralans. "All to the good...but a small linguistic question for the Anglophones among us: what happens now to....'Keralite' and 'Keralan' for the denizens of the new 'Keralam'? 'Keralamite' sounds like a microbe and 'Keralamian' like a rare earth mineral."
Linguistic concerns
Congress MP Tharoor raises linguistic concerns
Earlier reports suggested that the Union Cabinet is likely to consider a proposal to rename Kerala as "Keralam." The move comes after the state Assembly passed a resolution twice, urging the Centre to amend the Constitution to reflect the state's name in its Malayalam form across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule. The Kerala Assembly passed a resolution first in August 2023 and then on June 25, 2024, seeking to amend the Constitution to replace "Kerala" with "Keralam."
Official approval
Name of state written as Kerala in First Schedule
According to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the state was known as 'Keralam' in Malayalam, and the demand for a united Kerala dates back to the national freedom struggle. "But the name....is written as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution. This Assembly requests the Centre to take immediate steps to amend it as 'Keralam' under Article 3...and have it renamed as 'Keralam' in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution," he earlier said.
Political consensus
Proposal has received support from all political parties in state
The proposal has received support from all political parties in the state, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Congress, and the BJP. State BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar had said that "Developed Keralam, Safe Keralam and Protection of Faith" are not just slogans but their mission. Last month, Chandrasekhar had written to Vijayan extending support to the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's move to rename the state as 'Keralam.'