Kerala or Keralam? Shashi Tharoor raised questions on the name change proposal and said in English why only Kerala is correct.

News India Live, Digital Desk: Amidst the unanimous resolution of the Kerala Assembly to change the name of the state to ‘Keralaam’, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, famous for his outspoken rhetoric and linguistic command, has started a new debate. Tharoor shared a long post on social media platform His main points: Malayalam vs English: Tharoor argues that the word ‘Kerala’ is absolutely correct as per the grammar of Malayalam language, but saying ‘Kerala’ in English is an established tradition. Sanskrit and native roots: He points out that the origin of the word ‘Kerala’ is linked to Sanskrit and ancient Tamil, where adding ‘M’ at the end is typical of Malayalam. Is the change necessary?: Tharoor questioned whether we should impose the same pronunciation in every language. Want? Just as we say ‘India’ in English and ‘Bharat’ in Hindi, what is the harm in having ‘Kerala’ in Malayalam and ‘Kerala’ in other languages? Constitutional catch: What do the rules say? If the central government approves this proposal, then the First Schedule of the Constitution will have to be amended. Shashi Tharoor believes that this change may affect the identity of ‘Brand Kerala’ at the international level and in official documents, which has been known by this name for decades. There has been a debate on social media. After this post of Tharoor, the internet has been divided into two groups: Supporters: Many people agree with Tharoor that every language has its own nature and forcibly changing the name will only increase the administrative complexity. Opponents: At the same time, a large section is saying that when the names of Odisha, Puducherry and Karnataka (from Mysore) can be changed, then there should be no objection in changing the names of Odisha, Puducherry and Karnataka (from Mysore) to ‘Keralaam’ in respect of their mother tongue. Next step?Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has already said that this change is part of the cultural identity of the state. Now the ball is in the court of the central government. If the Cabinet approves it, a name change bill can be brought in the upcoming session of Parliament.