Gopal Hari Deshmukh Biography 
Gopal Hari Deshmukh was a social reformer, activist and thinker from Maharashtra who lived in the 19th century. He was also a writer who inspired others through his writings. He is widely regarded as an important figure of the Social Reform Movement in Maharashtra. He promoted emancipation and education of women, and wrote against arranged child marriages, dowry system, and polygamy. All these social evils existed in the society when he lived in the 19th century between 18 February 1823 and 9 October 1892.
Gopal Hari Deshmukh was born in Pune on 18 February 1823. He belonged to a family of tax collectors with the surname Shidhaye, and later renamed as Deshmukh. He was born into a high class and rich Chitpavan Brahmin family. His father was the treasurer of Bapu Gokhale, a Maratha general. Gopal studied English from Pune, then known as Poona. He started his professional career in government service as a translator in British raj. Later he was appointed him a small cause judge in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in 1867. He also worked as Divan of the princely state Ratlam state. He retired as a sessions judge and has held many high positions in government judiciary.
He started writing articles at the age of 25, and most of them aimed at social reformation. He didn’t blindly follow traditions, instead stood against social evils like child marriage, untouchability, dowry etc. He stood for women education and empowerment too. He wrote against the evils of the caste system and condemned harmful Hindu religious orthodoxy. He also attacked Brahmin priests who traditionally conducted rituals. Deshmukh founded a public library in Pune, and also played an instrumental in starting Marathi periodicals like Gyan Prakash, Indu Prakash and Lokhitwadi. He wrote 35 books on diverse topics.
Published: November 04, 2018
Updated: November 04, 2018
