Verrier Elwin
Verrier Elwin arrived in India in 1927 as a gifted young Anglican, and was drawn to the Gond and other tribal ('adivasi') communities of central India. Living among them, he grew convinced that missionary and government efforts to 'civilise' the tribes were destroying cultures worth cherishing. In time he left the Christian ministry — and later the faith itself — and became one of the world's foremost anthropologists of tribal India, taking Indian citizenship and advising Jawaharlal Nehru on tribal policy.
- Lived among and defended the tribal peoples of central and north-east India, documenting and championing their cultures. Elwin
- 1902Born in Dover, England. Elwin
- 1927Came to India as an Anglican missionary; drawn to the tribal communities. Elwin
- 1935Left the Christian ministry over his convictions about the tribes; turned to anthropology. Elwin
- 1964Died in Delhi, an Indian citizen and adviser on tribal affairs. Elwin
Elwin became a defining voice for the dignity and self-determination of India's tribal peoples, shaping independent India's tribal policy.
Elwin is included in full honesty, not claimed: he came as a missionary and concluded the mission was harming the people he loved, leaving the ministry and eventually the faith. His story is a genuine and uncomfortable one, and we let it stand as it is.
Wikipedia — Verrier ElwinRamachandra Guha — Savaging the Civilization: Verrier Elwin
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