Name change may come at a high cost for Kerala

Changing Kerala’s name to Keralam, though legally insignificant, comes with a cost for the State.

The name Kerala will have to be replaced with Keralam in all the official entries. The humongous process of changing the name boards of government institutions, departments and vehicles, letterheads, official seals and stamp papers awaits the State.

All forms of government communication, both physical and electronic, where the name Kerala is used, will have to be modified. The change will have to reflect on all government websites too. The rechristening process will be a time-consuming and expensive affair. The financial implications of the decision will be known later as each department and institution will have to modify its name on its own over a period, according to officials.

Going by the decision, the names of iconic institutions like the High Court of Kerala and Kerala House in New Delhi too will have to be modified, they pointed out.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had the other day approved the proposal to change the name of the State.

P.D.T. Achary, a former Secretary General of the Lok Sabha, felt that the renaming process was more of an emotional issue sans any legal impact. This should be seen as a step to bring the English and Hindi names of the State in conformity with its name in Malayalam. The process may incur some expenditure, he pointed out.

“Kerala House in New Delhi may even have to be renamed as House of Keralam,” he felt.

At the same time, Mr. Achary felt that West Bengal has even a stronger case for a change of name. As East Bengal became Bangladesh, there’s no point in calling the remnant part of Bengal in India as West Bengal, he said.

Incidentally, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had reiterated her demand to change the State’s name to Bangla hours after the Union Cabinet approved the change of name of Kerala. Criticising the Union government for not considering the request, she said the proposal was passed in Parliament thrice.

Lawyer Kaleeswaram Raj felt the decision to change the name was uncalled for, as it didn’t ensure any corresponding benefits, even in the cultural sense, to the State. However, the name change would create multiple administrative, legislative and institutional hurdles.

“Though the change made is peripheral and a minute one, it would require a good deal of money, time and effort. It will also lead to confusion as many establishments like the Kerala High Court and the Kerala Public Service Commission will have to continue with the name Kerala, unless changes are made by way of further legislation,” he pointed out.