ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how Grierson’s identification with an Aryan India merges into aspects of a Hindu nationalist position, as reflected in his correspondence with these nationalists and some of his own writings. From the perspective of this nationalism, Grierson was an ideal minority figure. Grierson uses a quasi-national language when pitting a monolithically conceived Hindu India against an equally monolithic ‘Semitic’ Islam. The overlaps between Grierson and Hindu nationalism explain some otherwise puzzling features of his approach to Siraiki and Panjabi. However, Grierson’s empathy for this nationalism is developed through a Christian perspective which safeguards the latter’s priority, so there are strict limits to his affinity with Hindu nationalism. In this context, the chapter assesses the role Grierson’s Anglo-Irish background plays in the overlaps and differences between his political position and aspects of Hindu nationalism.
