Rao Bahadur Gopal Hari Deshmukh (pronunciationⓘ) also known as Lokhitwadi (18 February 1823 – 9 October 1892) was an Indian activist, thinker, social reformer and writer from Maharashtra.
[5] At age 25, Deshmukh started writing articles aimed at social reform in Maharashtra in the weekly Prabhakar (प्रभाकर) under the pen name Lokhitawadi (लोकहितवादी).
He promoted emancipation (liberation) and education of women, and wrote against arranged child marriages, dowry system, and polygamy, all of which were prevalent in India in his times.
[6] Deshmukh founded a public library in Pune under the leadership of the then governor of Bombay Presidency, Henry Brown.
He established in Ahmedabad a branch of prarthana samaj, founded an institute promoting remarriages of widows, and invigorated Gujarat Vernacular Society.
Deshmukh wrote 35 books on diverse topics, including religious, social, economic, political, historic, and literary matters.