India, Feb. 26 -- For seven decades since its formation, the state went by the name Kerala, though its natives always added an "M" to it, making it Keralam, as if to rhyme with the local language, Malayalam. Now the Centre has cleared the state's demand that it be called Keralam, instead of its anglicised variant. This small act of cultural assertion could add up to little other than forcing the cash-starved government to undertake a renaming marathon, including the high court, a university, numerous departments, and even its Ranji team. Kerala could have easily coexisted with Keralam (as is written in Malayalam) just like European cities are spelt differently in different languages.

This near-pointless exercise is different from similar...