New Delhi, February 24 Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor offered a witty take on Kerala's name change on Tuesday, asking what happens now to the terms "Keralite" and "Keralan" for the "inhabitants" of the new "Keralam".
In a lighter vein, Tharoor said "Keralamite" sounds like a microbe and "Keralamian" like a rare earth mineral.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal for changing the name of Kerala to Keralam on Tuesday.
Ahead of the Cabinet decision announcement, Tharoor said, "All for the better, no doubt, but a small linguistic question for us Anglophones: what happens now to the terms 'Keralite' and 'Keralan' for the inhabitants of the new 'Keralam'?
"'Keralamite' sounds like a microbe and 'Keralamian' like a rare earth mineral!" he said, sharing the media report on the name change.
The Legislative Assembly of Kerala passed a resolution on June 24, 2024, to change the name of Kerala to Keralam.
Subsequently, the government of Kerala requested the government of India to take necessary steps to amend the First Schedule to the Constitution by changing the name of Kerala to Keralam, according to Article 3 of the Constitution.
The matter regarding the alteration of the name Kerala to Keralam was considered in the Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India, and with the approval of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the draft note for the Cabinet for changing Kerala to Keralam was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department, and the Ministry of Law and Justice for their comments.
The Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department, and the Ministry of Law and Justice have concurred with the proposal for the alteration of Kerala as Keralam.
After approval of the Union Cabinet, the President of India will refer a Bill, namely the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala for expressing its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India.
After receipt of the views of the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala, the government of India will take further action and the recommendation of the President will be obtained for the introduction of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, for the alteration of Kerala as Keralam, in Parliament.
Meanwhile, on Monday night, Tharoor said he was truly pleased to see C Rajagopalachari honoured by a statue at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
"He was its first Indian occupant as the only Indian Governor-General of India, before we became a Republic, and he yielded his seat to the new President. I have long admired his convictions, and I was a strong supporter of his Swatantra Party during my student days," Tharoor said.
"His set of values and principles – liberal economics and support for free enterprise, combined with social justice; a strong grounding in Indian civilization and religious faith, but without any communal bigotry; and a staunch faith in the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, including keeping the government out of our kitchens, bedrooms, and libraries – remain mine to this day," the Congress MP said.
It is sad that there are so few left to follow him today, Tharoor added on X.