Malappuram’s Kerala to retain its name even if State becomes Keralam

Karuvarakundu: Even if the State's name changes from Kerala to Keralam, a place in Malappuram district known as Kerala will not change.

Kerala lies in Karuvarakundu gram panchayat of the district. Signboards with the location name Kerala can be seen on both sides of the hill highway stretch near Karuvarakundu and Kalikavu.

There is a story behind why the place got the name Kerala. During British rule, it was among the first places where the administration started rubber estates in the State. They named it Kerala Estate as it means estate in Kerala. Later, with the arrival of labourers' settlements and other developments near the estate, it evolved into a small junction known as Kerala. That name later became official.

The name of the place is reflected in nearby spots. The waterfall near the estate is named Keralamkundu Waterfalls. There is also a place called Keraladheeswarapuram near Malappuram, now known as Kerala Adhishwarpuram in K. Puram.

The Kerala Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to officially change the State's name to Keralam.

The Assembly passed the resolution for the second time as the Union Home Ministry, which reviewed the first resolution, suggested some technical changes.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who moved the resolution, urged the union government to change the southern State's name from "Kerala" to "Keralam" in all languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of the country.

In moving the resolution, the CM noted that the State was referred to as ‘Keralam' in Malayalam and that the demand for a unified Kerala for Malayalam-speaking communities had strongly emerged since the national freedom struggle.

"But the name of our State is written as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution. This Assembly requests the Centre to take immediate steps to amend it as ‘Keralam' under Article 3 of the Constitution and have it renamed as ‘Keralam' in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution," Vijayan said.

This marks the second time that the State assembly has passed a resolution demanding a change in the State's name.

Last year in August, the House unanimously passed a similar resolution and submitted it to the Centre, but the Union Home Ministry suggested some technical changes, sources from the Assembly Secretariat said.

Following the presentation, the CM also mentioned that further examinations necessitated some changes to the earlier resolution.

The resolution was accepted by both members of the ruling LDF and the opposition Congress-led UDF.

UDF legislator N Shamsudeen proposed amendments to modify the structure of the resolution, which were later rejected by the government.

Subsequently, Speaker A N Shamseer declared it unanimously adopted by the assembly.

With PTI inputs