The Kerala Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution asking the Central government to officially change the state’s name from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’. This is the second time the Assembly has made this request after a similar resolution last year was returned by the Centre for Corrections.
On Monday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented the resolution, emphasizing the historical and cultural importance of the name ‘Keralam’. In Malayalam, the state’s native language, the state has always been called ‘Keralam’. The demand for recognizing this name has been strong since the time of the national freedom struggle.
Vijayan pointed out that although the state is referred to as ‘Kerala’ in the First Schedule of the Indian Constitution, the people of the state have always known it as ‘Keralam’. He urged the Centre to amend the Constitution under Article 3 to officially change the name in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. This includes Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, and other major Indian languages.
The resolution received support from both the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF). Although UDF legislator N Shamsudeen suggested some modifications, these were not accepted by the government. The Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer then announced that the resolution had been unanimously adopted.
Changing the names of states and cities is not new in India. Since independence, over a hundred cities and several states have undergone name changes. For instance, Uttaranchal became Uttarakhand in 2007, reflecting the Uttarakhand Andolan movement that led to its separation from Uttar Pradesh in 2000. In 2011, Orissa was renamed Odisha following the Orissa (Alteration of Name) Act. In 2006, Pondicherry became Puducherry.
Several major cities have also changed their names. Bombay was renamed Mumbai, and Madras became Chennai. These changes often reflect local languages and cultural identities.
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With the resolution passed, the Kerala government will now send it to the Union government for approval. The Union Home Ministry had previously reviewed the first resolution and suggested technical changes, which have presumably been addressed in this new resolution.
The Kerala Assembly’s resolution to change the state’s name to ‘Keralam’ underscores the importance of cultural and linguistic identity. As the resolution moves to the Union government for approval, the people of Kerala await the official recognition of their state’s traditional name. This change, if approved, will join the list of many such changes that reflect the rich diversity and heritage of India.
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