Jagtar Singh Grewal is an Indian writer, historian, scholar, and a former vice-chancellor of the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU).^[1] After securing his Ph.D. and DLitt from London, he joined the Guru Nanak Dev University where he founded the Department of History.^[2] He was the first Dean of the Academic Affairs of the University and is a former member of faculty at Panjab University, Chandigarh. After his superannuation from GNDU in 1984, he joined the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla as its director.^[2]

Grewal is a member of the Religious Advisory Council of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation^[1] and the head of the Institute of Punjab Studies, Chandigarh.^[3] He has published several articles^[3] and books on Sikh history^[4] and is considered by many as a scholar on the subject.^[2] Contesting Interpretations of the Sikh Tradition,^[5] The Sikhs of the Punjab,^[6] Sikh Ideology, Polity and Social Order,^[7] Social and Cultural History of the Punjab,^[8] Maharja Ranjit Singh: Polity, Economy and Society,^[9] Kinship and State Formation,^[10] The Sikhs: Ideology, Institutions, and Identity,^[11] Guru Nanak in History^[12] and Historical Writings on the Sikhs (1784-2011)^[13] are some of his notable works and his researches have been subjected to studies on academic level.^[14] The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2005, for his contributions to Indian literature.^[15]