Kerala To 'Keralam': What Is The Importance Behind Renaming The Name? | EXPLAINED

The resolution to change the state's name to "Keralam" was once again unanimously passed by the Kerala assembly on Monday, urging the central government to amend the state's official name in all languages.

The actual motive behind this move is rooted in the linguistic solidarity and desire of Keralites to have the state's name spoken and recognized in their native language, Malayalam.

The Resolution

As stated by the Chief Minister of Kerala during the presentation of the resolution in the assembly, "The name of our state in Malayalam is Keralam... However, the name of our state in the First Schedule of the Constitution has been written as Kerala. This Assembly is unanimously requesting the Union Government to take immediate steps under Article 3 of the Constitution to change the name of the state to Keralam," as reported by Indian Express.

Why is Kerala To Be Now Called As "Keralam"?

The word 'Keralam' is possibly derived from the Chera dynasty or from the abundance of coconut trees native to the region. European merchants and explorers referred to it as Malabar.

As reported by the India Express, the state of Kerala, known in Malayalam as Keralam, gets its English name from this regional term. Various theories regarding its etymological origins exist. The earliest known reference to the term appears in Emperor Ashoka's Rock Edict II, dating back to 257 BCE.

The edict states: "Everywhere in the dominions of King Priyadarsin, Beloved of the gods, as well as those of his frontier sovereigns, such as the Chodas [Cholas], Pandyas, Satiyaputra, Ketalaputra [Keralaputra]..." The term Keralaputra, which means "son of Kerala" in Sanskrit, refers to the Chera dynasty, one of the three principal kingdoms of southern India.

The German linguist Dr Herman Gundert observed that the term 'keram' in Kannada translates to 'cheram', referring to the coastal region extending from Gokarna (in Karnataka) to Kanyakumari (at the southern tip of Tamil Nadu, India). The origin of the term may be linked to 'cher', an Old Tamil word meaning 'to join'.

Malayalam Was the Reason for Today's Modern United Kerala

The movement for a unified Malayalam-speaking state gained momentum in the 1920s, aiming to amalgamate the princely states of Travancore and Cochin with the Malabar district of the Madras Presidency. Following independence, on July 1, 1949, the two Malayalam-speaking princely states were merged to form the state of Travancore-Cochin.

Subsequently, the state of Kerala was established based on the recommendations of the State Reorganisation Commission, which advocated for states to be organized along linguistic lines, as per media reports.

The commission, led by Syed Fazl Ali, proposed the inclusion of the Malabar district and the Kasargod taluk into the Malayalam-speaking state while suggesting the exclusion of the four southern taluks of Travancore-Tovala, Agastheeswaram, Kalkulam, and Vilayankode-along with parts of Shenkottai, which are now part of Tamil Nadu.