Balshastri Jambhekar (1812-1846) was a pioneer of social reform through journalism in Bombay;  

• He attacked brahminical orthodoxy and tried to reform popular Hinduism. He started the newspaper Darpan in 1832.  

• Known as the father of Marathi journalism, Jambhekar used the Darpan to awaken the people to awareness of social reforms, such as widow remarriage, and to instil in the masses a scientific approach to life.  
• In 1840, he started Digdarshan which published articles on scientific subjects as well as history. 

Gopalhari Deshmukh (1823-1892) was a social reformer and rationalist from Maharashtra.  

• He held the post of a judge under British raj, but wrote for a weekly Prabhakar under the pen name of Lokahitawadi on social reform issues.  
• He started a weekly, Hitechhu, and also played a leading role in founding the periodicals, Gyan Prakash, Indu Prakash and Lokahitawadi. 

Gopal Ganesh Agarkar (1856-1895) was an educationist and social reformer from Maharashtra.  

• A strong advocate of the power of human reason, he criticised the blind dependence on tradition and false glorification of the past.  
• He was a cofounder of the New English School, the Deccan Education Society and Fergusson College.  
• He was a principal of Fergusson College. He was also the first editor of Kesari, the journal started by Lokmanya Tilak.  
• Later, he started his own periodical, Sudharak, which spoke against untouchability and the caste system. 

Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India.