No dude, I'm not lying. That we're Bharatiyas/Hindustanis was as much a part of our identity in colonial times or the times before that as it was today. I'm not saying every group proscribed to this view, but certainly Hindus everywhere were culturally identifying themselves as those of
Bharateeya sabhyata(Indian culture).
The two holiest places to visit for a chaste Hindu have been Kashi(Varanasi) in UP and Rameshwaram in TN for at least two millenia now. This cultural diffusion has gone on in spite of any number of political entities seperating the two places.
Ranjit Singh too would have identified that Punjab is part of Hindustan and that he's a Punjabi and a Hindustani if one were to ask him that question.