If There’s One Thing Governments in India Are Good At, It’s Renaming Places

In a country known for its diversity, democracy and dramatic debates, there is one administrative skill that governments across party lines have consistently mastered: changing names.

The latest entrant into India’s ever-evolving atlas is Kerala, which is set to be officially known as “Keralam.” The proposal, passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly and awaiting formalities through the Parliament of India, aims to align the state’s English name with its Malayalam identity.

Supporters describe it as a linguistic correction. After all, Malayalis have always called it “Keralam.” Critics shrug and ask: will the extra “m” change anything beyond letterheads and signboards?

The debate may be new. The pattern is not.

A National Hobby?

If renaming were an Olympic sport, India would at least qualify for the finals.

Over the decades, maps have been quietly and sometimes noisily updated. Bombay became Mumbai. Calcutta turned into Kolkata. Madras was reborn as Chennai.

In most of these cases, the reasoning was straightforward: restore local pronunciation, shed colonial spellings, reclaim cultural identity. Few today argue passionately for a return to “Bombay” in official records. The new names have settled in - on railway tickets, airport boards and cricket commentary alike.

But the renaming momentum did not stop there.

History, Heritage and Headlines

In recent years, several changes have leaned into historical and cultural symbolism.

Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj, reflecting its ancient association with Prayag. Gurgaon became Gurugram, drawing from mythological references. Aurangabad transformed into Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, honouring a Maratha ruler.

In New Delhi, Rajpath was rechristened Kartavya Path - a symbolic shift from colonial-era terminology to a phrase meaning “Path of Duty.”

Each change came with speeches, statements and spirited discussions. For some citizens, these are long-overdue corrections. For others, they are symbolic exercises that generate more paperwork than progress.

Why Governments Love a Good Rename

To be fair, renaming is not uniquely Indian. Countries across the world have rebranded cities after revolutions, independence movements or regime changes. Names carry power. They shape identity, memory and perception.

In India’s case, motivations tend to fall into familiar categories:

Linguistic authenticity: Correcting anglicised spellings.

Cultural reclamation: Highlighting pre-colonial or regional heritage.

Historical reinterpretation: Emphasising certain narratives of the past.

Political signalling: Demonstrating alignment with cultural sentiment.

Not all motivations are mutually exclusive. Often, they overlap.

And importantly, these decisions are made by governments of different political ideologies. Renaming has proven to be one of the rare bipartisan traditions in Indian public life.

So, What About Keralam?

The shift from Kerala to Keralam is, on the surface, one of the least dramatic changes. There is no overthrow of a ruler’s name, no mythological replacement, no ideological

overhaul. Just an additional letter - and arguably, a more accurate reflection of how the state is pronounced in Malayalam.

For residents, daily life will likely remain unchanged. Coconut trees will not grow taller. Monsoons will not arrive earlier. Tourism brochures will simply add a consonant.

Yet symbolically, the move fits into India’s broader narrative: a nation continually revisiting how it defines itself - sometimes through policy, sometimes through poetry, and quite often through place names.

The Bigger Question

Does renaming reshape reality? Or does it reshape remembrance?

The honest answer may be: a little of both, and sometimes neither.

What is undeniable is that names matter. They carry emotion, identity and history. They can unify, provoke, correct or simply confuse Google Maps for a few months.

With Kerala poised to become Keralam, India’s tradition of cartographic revisions continues - steady, debated and very much alive.

After all, in Indian governance, some things change slowly. Others just change names.