Swaraj says State should shed its “colonial hangover” and added an ‘m’ to Kerala

Kerala or Keralam? The question popped up in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday with a demand being made to add an ‘m’ and drop Kerala forever.

During the question hour, M. Swaraj of the CPI(M) argued that the State should shed its “colonial hangover” and add an ‘m’ to Kerala when writing the name in English.

Minister for Cultural Affairs A.K. Balan said the government too preferred Keralam, but it has to be put into practice through frequent use.

“Cannanore is now Kannur; Calicut, Kozhikode; Quilon, Kollam; and Trivandrum, Thiruvananthapuram,” the Minister said, adding that everyday use of Keralam would help to edge out Kerala as well.

But it remains to be seen whether Kerala can be unseated easily, given its widespread use in the day-to-day affairs of the Government of Kerala. An exception, perhaps, is the VFPCK, which expands to Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam.