With the Union Cabinet approving the renaming of Kerala as Keralam on Tuesday, the demand, previously endorsed twice by the Kerala Assembly, is finally set to be fulfilled.
The Assembly passed resolutions in 2023 and 2024 urging the Union government to amend the Constitution and change the state’s name from Kerala to Keralam. Both resolutions were moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Last month, Kerala BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar wrote to the CM extending the party’s support to the move.
Why was the resolution moved again?
The 2024 resolution stated that the name of the state in Malayalam is Keralam and that states were reorganised on linguistic lines on November 1, 1956, which is observed as Kerala Piravi (Kerala Formation Day). It noted that while the state is referred to as Keralam in Malayalam, its name in the First Schedule of the Constitution is Kerala.
The Assembly unanimously requested the Union government to take immediate steps under Article 3 of the Constitution to change the name to Keralam.
Explaining why the resolution had to be moved for a second time, Vijayan said the earlier resolution had sought changes not only in the First Schedule but also across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. However, upon examination, it was found that the required correction — from Kerala to Keralam — had been effected only in the resolution’s First Schedule. Hence, a fresh resolution was adopted to address the discrepancy.
Origins of the name
There are multiple theories about the origin of the name “Kerala”. The earliest epigraphic reference is found in Rock Edict II of Ashoka, dated to 257 BCE, which mentions “Keralaputra” (Sanskrit for “son of Kerala”), also interpreted as a reference to the Chera dynasty.
Some scholars trace Keralam to Cheram. German scholar Herman Gundert, who compiled the first Malayalam-English dictionary, noted that keram is the Kannada form of cheram and described Keralam as Cheram, the region between Gokarnam and Kanyakumari. The root “cher” is understood to mean “to join”, and appears in the compound “Cheralam”, with “alam” meaning land or region.
The demand for a unified Kerala
Malayalam-speaking regions were historically ruled by various kings and princely states. The Aikya (unified) Kerala movement gathered momentum in the 1920s, demanding a separate state for Malayalam-speaking people by integrating Malabar, Kochi and Travancore.
Inspired by the freedom movement, Malayalis — bound by a shared language, cultural traditions, and social customs — pressed for political unification.
Following Independence, the integration of princely states paved the way for statehood. On July 1, 1949, Travancore and Kochi merged to form the Travancore-Cochin state. When the Union government decided to reorganise states on linguistic lines, the State Reorganisation Commission, headed by Syed Fazl Ali, recommended the creation of Kerala by including the Malabar district and the Kasargod taluk, while excluding the southern taluks of Travancore that now form part of Tamil Nadu.
What is the process for renaming a state?
Unlike the renaming of cities, changing the name of a state requires a Constitutional amendment, for which a proposal must originate from the state government. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) examines the request and seeks No Objection Certificates (NOCs)from agencies such as the Ministry of Railways, the Intelligence Bureau, the Department of Posts, Survey of India, and the Registrar General of India.
If cleared, the proposal is introduced in Parliament as a Bill. Once passed and notified, the new name comes into effect.
In a previous instance, a 2018 proposal to rename West Bengal as Bangla was not cleared after the Ministry of External Affairs raised concerns about its similarity with Bangladesh.
