The Malayali community in the UAE has warmly welcomed the renaming of the Indian state of Kerala to Keralam. After India’s Union Cabinet approved the move on Tuesday, celebrations spread in diaspora circles across the Gulf, with many saying the country has always carried that name in its ethos.While passports, flight tickets and maps say ‘Kerala’ for Malayalis in the UAE, ‘Keralam’ has always been the preferred name. Now that it’s official, the news has sparked feelings of pride, humor and practical concerns among members of the Gulf diaspora.
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The Centre’s decision comes in the wake of resolutions passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly aimed at aligning the state’s official name with its traditional Malayalam form.
In the UAE, where about a million Malayalis make up one of the country’s largest expatriate communities and the largest Indian state group, the move has overwhelming support. Supporters of the decision who spoke to the UAE-based Khaleej Times claimed that the decision was a natural correction like renaming Bombay to Mumbai or Madras to Chennai. For them, this move replaces the colonial era representation of their state with the traditional and valid Malayali form.
According to Sri Prakash Purayath, Secretary General of the Indian Society of Sharjah (IAS), in Malayalam, the language spoken by the majority of the community, the state “has always been called Keralam.” “The name Kerala is often seen as dating back to colonial times and later official documents,” he told the outlet. He revealed that the word finds its origin either in the word “Chiram”, which is associated with the Chera dynasty, or in the word “Kira”, which means coconut tree, and the word “Alam”, which means land, and thus combine to mean “land of coconut trees.”
“It’s a classic case of local versus foreign appellations. When a country reclaims its original name, it is often a powerful act of linguistic and cultural affirmation,” he added.“It feels like the world is catching up with the way we always talked,” added Minnie Thomas, a school teacher from Kollam. However, the news was not received with open arms by everyone. Keeping the current name was best for Nassar Talangara, president of the Sharjah Indian Association and representative of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Center (KMCC).
He claimed that Kerala was a more “international term” contrasted with Kerala, a more “local” preference. In order to attract more international visitors, he suggested that staying in Kerala would be better and either way, it is advisable to conduct a survey for the decision. Within the Indian diaspora too, the decision was met with mixed reactions. While many celebrated the long-awaited decision, others found gaps in its practicality.
Congress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, and is known for his eloquent views, took to
The post quickly gained engagement on the app, attracting reactions from many viewers, including viewers from the Gulf region. However, it is important to note that the renaming process has not been completed yet. The Kerala State (Change of Name) Bill, 2026 must pass Parliament to amend the First Schedule to the Constitution before receiving the President’s assent. Only then will the official documents and international references of the state change.
