# Gujarat’s Kerala village lives beyond the model debate 2026-08-06T22:51:22+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A small village named Kerala, about 10 km from Wankaner in Gujarat’s Morbi district, has become an amusing footnote to the long-running Gujarat model versus Kerala model argument. Its residents know little of the economists behind that debate, though some associate Kerala with its 100% literacy rate. Villagers offer no certain explanation for the name. A local temple priest says the area once had a dense banana grove, possibly linking the name to kela, or banana, but the story is unproven. The shared name has also caused comic misunderstandings, including an officer in Ahmedabad expecting a Malayalee and meeting a Gujarati mason from the village. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Tags: Gujarat, Kerala, Morbi, villages, Wankaner Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/gujarats-kerala-village-lives-beyond-the-model-debate/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/gujarats-kerala-village-lives-beyond-the-model-debate/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.