Do I live in Keral or Kerala or Keralam?
The south western state of India, where I live, is celebrating its 50 years of existence on 1st of November. In Hindi the state's name is Keral [़ केरल, Kēraḷ], in English it is Kerala ['keːɹəˌlə] and in Malayalam it is Keralam [േകരളം, Kēraḷaṁ].
Even in Government documents different names are used depending on the language. When will the government unify the name of the state - be it Keralam or Kerala or Keral? I prefer the name Keralam as it means 'the land of coconut trees' in Malayalam.
BTW, sometimes I feel that the state should have been named Malayalam as the word means 'the land of hills', which is true. So we would have been the Malayalam speaking people of the state of Malayalam!
I think it would be a good idea for the 'Keralam' Government to think about it and make a change during the 50 year celebrations.
