The Union Cabinet of India approved the Kerala government’s request to rename the state as “Keralam.” This decision supports a long-standing demand to match its official name with its original form in Malayalam.
India approve kerala rename request
The decision follows resolutions passed twice by the Kerala Legislative Assembly, in August 2023 and June 2024, asking the Centre to change the First Schedule of the Constitution to use “Keralam” in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan moved the resolutions, which received unanimous support from both the ruling LDF and the Congress-led UDF opposition.
The state government has said that this change is not just a symbol, but a correction of how the name appears in official records.
Strengthens Malayalam Roots
The demand is rooted in language. In Malayalam, the state has always been called “Keralam.” Linguists note that in Dravidian languages, place names often end with the suffix “–am.” Examples include Malayalam and Tamilakam.
Scholars explain that “Keralam” is the grammatically complete form in Malayalam. In contrast, “Kerala” developed as an adaptation in English and other languages. Words ending in “–am” frequently lose the final consonant when taken into English.
For example, “Ramam” becomes Rama and “Krishnam” becomes Krishna. Over time, “Keralam” similarly turned into “Kerala” in English usage.
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