Indian State of Kerala to Be Renamed Keralam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Feb 28: The Indian state of Kerala, often called “God’s Own Country” for its palm-fringed beaches and lush tea plantations, is set to adopt a new official name — Keralam.

The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a proposal to rename the southern coastal state, aligning its English-language name with its pronunciation in Malayalam, the primary language spoken by the state’s nearly 35 million people.

In Malayalam, the state has always been known as Keralam. The word is derived from kera (coconut tree) and alam (land), translating to “the land of coconut trees.” The name is fitting: the state accounts for nearly 45% of India’s coconut production and attracts millions of domestic and international tourists each year.

The proposal received unanimous, cross-party support in the state legislature. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who leads the Left Democratic Front government, said the change was a matter of dignity and linguistic authenticity, arguing that the state should be known by the name its people themselves use.

For many residents, the move feels long overdue. “Keralam is the name we use in Malayalam, so using it in English feels more natural and familiar,” said Priya Matthew, a schoolteacher from Kozhikode. She added, however, that “Kerala” had “a certain musical flow in English that ‘Keralam’ doesn’t quite have.”

The renaming follows a broader national trend—accelerated under the Modi government—of restoring Indigenous spellings and discarding colonial-era names. Cities such as Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), and Bengaluru (Bangalore), as well as the state of Odisha (formerly Orissa), have all undergone similar changes.

The proposal will next be introduced in Parliament, where it is expected to pass smoothly. Once approved, Keralam will become the official name of the state in English-language records.

The move has also sparked light-hearted linguistic debate. Author and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram, welcomed the change but raised a practical question on social media: “All to the good, no doubt. But what happens now to the terms ‘Keralite’ and ‘Keralan’ for the denizens of the new ‘Keralam’?”