The Cosmopolitan World of Radheshyam Kathavachak

Abstract Chapter 2 provides a concise intellectual biography of Kathavachak, illustrating his major contributions as a poet, singer-explicator, publisher, editor, playwright, and director. It speaks to his many public and political roles as an anticolonial nationalist, supporter of Mahatma Gandhi and Madan Mohan Malaviya, defender of Hindi language and letters, and staunch exponent of the brahmin community. It also reflects on Kathavachak’s positions on gender and caste, making the case that he was a firm believer in maintaining fixed gender roles and the caste status quo. The chapter is framed by a discussion of the influence of modern technologies like the railway on the author, who sought to blend old and new in his work. It also includes brief excerpts from Kathavachak’s writings to illuminate his broader ideas and professional aims.