Mangaluru: With only one more Kambala event left in the current season, jockey Srinivas Gowda, known as the 'Usain Bolt' of the folk sport, has won 42 medals in the current season, a record in the history of Kambala.

Gowda, by winning four medals in the Kambala held at Venoor recently taking his medal tally to 35, had already broken the record set by Hukkeri Shetty who had earlier won 32 medals in a season.

Later, at Paivalike Kambala in Keralas Kasaragod district he bagged four medals. On Sunday, Gowda won three more medals at the Vijaya- Vikrama Kambala held at Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada district.

The final Kambala of the season is slated to be held at Belthangady on March 7. The Vijaya-Vikrama Kambala also created a new record for the time taken for its completion which was around 35 hours.

The Kambala, that began at 10 am on Saturday lasted till about 9 pm on Sunday and was participated by 142 pairs of buffaloes.

Kambala Samiti is set to streamline the rules and procedures in Kambala events as per the directions of the state government, which includes proper handling of the animals.

The Samiti also wants all Kambalas to be completed within a 24-hour duration, Samiti member Rajiv Shetty Edthur said.

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New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had a witty take on Kerala's name change on Tuesday, asking what happens now to the terms "Keralite" and "Keralan" for the "denizens" of the new "Keralam".

In a lighter vein, Tharoor said 'Keralamite' sounds like a microbe and 'Keralamian' like a rare earth mineral.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved the proposal for altering the name of Kerala to Keralam.

Ahead of the Cabinet decision announcement, Tharoor said, "All to the good, no doubt, but a small linguistic question for the Anglophones among us: what happens now to the terms 'Keralite' and 'Keralan' for the denizens of the new 'Keralam'?

"'Keralamite' sounds like a microbe and 'Keralamian' like a rare earth mineral ! @CMOKerala might want to launch a competition for new terms resulting from this electoral zeal," he said, sharing the media report on the name change.

The Legislative Assembly of Kerala passed a resolution on June 24, 2024 to alter the name of Kerala to Keralam'.

Thereafter, the government of Kerala requested the government of India to take necessary steps to amend the First Schedule to the Constitution by altering the name of Kerala to Keralam according to Article 3 of the Constitution.

The matter regarding the alteration of the name Kerala to Keralam was considered in the Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India and with the approval of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the draft note for the Cabinet for changing Kerala to Keralam was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative Department, and the Ministry of Law and Justice for their comments.

The Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative Department, and the Ministry of Law and Justice have concurred with the proposal for the alteration of Kerala as Keralam.

After approval of the Union Cabinet, the president of India will refer a Bill, namely the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala for expressing its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India.

After receipt of the views of the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala, the government of India will take further action and the recommendation of the president will be obtained for the introduction of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 for the alteration of Kerala as Keralam in Parliament.

Meanwhile, on Monday night, Tharoor said he was truly pleased to see C Rajagopalachari honoured by a statue at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"He was its first Indian occupant as the only Indian Governor-General of India, before we became a Republic and he yielded his seat to the new President. I have long admired his convictions and was a strong supporter of his Swatantra Party in my student days," Tharoor said.

"His set of values and principles -- liberal economics and support for free enterprise, combined with social justice; strong anchoring in Indian civilization and religious faith but without a shred of communal bigotry; and a staunch faith in the rights & freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, including keeping the government out of our kitchens, bedrooms and libraries -- remain mine to this day," the Congress MP said.

It is sad that there are so few left to follow him today, Tharoor added on X.