Pinarayi Vijayan has definitely got what he wanted — Kerala, oops Keralam, will always remember his term.
The move, which has been in the making since 2023, had support from all parties. A rare phenomenon in any state, but even more so in Kerala(m). And Vijayan has gotten the credit for pulling off this phenomenal waste of time.
The additional ‘M’ ensures that the English word corresponds with the Malayalam word. Most (if not all) Keralites don’t care about it. Many of us still prefer Trivandrum over Thiruvananthapuram. And Kochi’s airport is still Cochin International Airport. Even if you look outside the state, you’ll see Gurugram and Prayagraj are rarely used.
“It will restore and protect our traditions and culture” was BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chadrashekhar’s take.
But I don’t think Kerala’s traditions or cultures are in dire, or any, need of such futile protections. And they definitely haven’t gone anywhere to need restoration.
Poor North Indians
When I speak in Malayalam, I add the ‘M’, and when I speak in English, I drop it. My pride in my language and state doesn’t skyrocket now that everyone has to add the ‘M’. It’s more of an inconvenience than anything else. I would have to retrain my tongue.
If the reader thinks I may be too young to have an opinion, my father feels the same. “We write Kerala in Malayalam too. All this is just a gimmick.”
If we feel this way, what then of the poor North Indians? They’re so used to dropping the ‘A’ at the end of Kerala. Now they have to train themselves to add another letter. Perhaps this will lead to an unlikely compromise where ‘A’ gets added, and ‘M’ remains silent.
Maybe we will both say it wrong. Except now I can’t haughtily correct my northern brethren anymore. My upper ground has been lost to an ‘M’.
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A waste of time
The name change is a political project, not a linguistic one.
Kerala was only formed in 1956. Prior to that, there was no Keralam or Kerala. It was a mish-mash of different administrative units and kingdoms. This renaming is no great anti-colonial move; it’s just a waste of time.
It’s like Elon Musk renaming Twitter to X. The only place the change has taken effect is in news media and official documentation. Even there, X is usually followed by a bracket proclaiming it as ‘formerly Twitter’.
Perhaps the headline that sums up this circus the best is Aaj Tak’s (translated from Hindi) — Keral’s name to be changed to Keralam.
And what of the people of Keralam? What will they be called now, Shashi Tharoor asked. I’ve always preferred Malayali.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)