From Bombay to Mumbai: Why India Keeps Renaming Its Places

Post-independence, demands for renamings surged, with activists arguing that invaders and British colonizers had imposed foreign names centuries ago. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Union Cabinet approved renaming Kerala to Keralam, fulfilling a long-standing request from the state government. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan pushed resolutions in 2023 and 2024 to use "Keralam" across all languages in India's Constitution; both passed the state assembly unanimously. He noted that Malayalam speakers have called it Keralam since the freedom struggle.

The timing aligns with upcoming assembly elections in the southern state, expected in March or April.

Keralam's history adds context: Malayalam-speaking areas were once ruled by separate kings in Malabar, Kochi, and Travancore. The 1920s Aikya Kerala movement pushed for unification. After 1947 independence, Travancore and Kochi merged into Travancore-Cochin. The 1956 State Reorganisation Commission then created Kerala by adding Malabar district and Kasaragod taluk, while southern Travancore taluks joined Tamil Nadu.

A Pattern of Renamings

India has renamed numerous states over decades:

• Uttar Pradesh (from United Provinces, 1950)
• Madhya Pradesh (from Madhya Bharat, 1959)
• Maharashtra and Gujarat (from Bombay State, 1960)
• Tamil Nadu (from Madras, 1969)
• Arunachal Pradesh (from NEFA, 1972)
• Karnataka (from Mysore, 1973)

Cities have followed suit: Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Bengaluru (Bangalore), Mangaluru (Mangalore), Prayagraj (Allahabad), Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad), Gurugram (Gurgaon), and Guwahati (Gauhati).

These changes often stem from local traditions, with broad political support. Yet controversies persist—Mumbai activists have defaced "Bombay" signs. Some iconic institutions stick to old names without backlash, like the Bombay Natural History Society, IIT Bombay, Bombay College of Pharmacy, and Bombay Scottish School.