politics reached the eastern part of the Hindi region, then known as the North West Provinces, to dispel its political backwardness.5 He contributed, through his lectures and writings, to the current discussion on the problems of taxation, tariffs, famine, drain, swadeshi, representation, employment of Indians, and the like, that was leading inexorably towards the realization of the increasingly felt need for a national political organization. Harishchandra was also instrumental in promoting specific agitations. He took part, for example, in the public meeting held in Ba-naras as part of the famous civil service agitation organised by the Indian Association in 1877. Belonging to an ancient rich family of Banaras, he was a devout Vaishnava who aimed at reforming his society without eroding the bedrock of tradition. Pratap Narain Misra, born in a Kanyakubja Brahman family of modest means, combined in his life and literature a ^devil-may-care air with a refined sensibility and solicitude for the suffering. In the Brahman, a monthly that exemplified fearless journalism, he assiduously nursed an instrument of public service that to him was a perennial source of material, physical and mental strain; more so as he disdained to improve his indifferent health and meagre finances, and simply hated to curb the natural ebullience of his pen. He was wholeheartedly associated with the Indian National Congress during its difficult but hopeful infanthood. Like Harishchandra, his literary mentor, Misra believed in reforming his society by refurbishing tradition. Radhacharan Goswami hailed from a sacerdotal family of Vrindaban that owned a chain of temples in different north-Indian cities. Inspired by Harishchandra to expand his social concerns, he was an orthodox Vaishnava Hindu with pronounced reformist leanings. At times openly and at times surreptitiously disregarding the injunctions of his family and vocation, he managed to acquire a rudimentary knowledge of English and educated himself about the state of his country. He was associated actively with the Congress during its early years. He attended some of its annual sessions and from 1888 to 1893 was secretary of the Ma-thura divisional Congress. When the Indian National Social Conference came into being (1887), he took part in some of its annual deliberations and for five years acted as secretary of its Mathura circle. He was also connected, for sometime as secretary, with the Hindi Editors5 Association which was formed at Allahabad in 1884. For three and a half years (1883-86) he conducted a monthly, Bharatendu, which wrote candidly and fearlessly - though not always intelligently - on a variety of public issues. Ill Speaking at Ballia, in 1887, on 'How Can India Progress?', Harishchandra dwelt on the all-round degeneration of the country and stressed the need for forging unity among Indians. He made special mention of the Muslims and contrasted the natural advantages bestowed on them by their religion with their pathetic existential plight. They were neither riven by caste distinctions nor held back by 8 January-March 1984