Bharatendu Harishchandra (9 September 1850 6 January 1885) was an Indian poet, writer and playwright. He was an author of several dramas, life sketches and travel accounts; he used new media such as reports, publications, letters to the editor, translations, and literary works to shape public opinion.
Writing under the pen name "Rasa", Harishchandra represented the agonies of the people, the country's poverty, dependency, inhuman exploitation, the unrest of the middle class and the urge for the progress of the country. He was an influential Hindu "traditionalist", using Vaishnava devotionalism to define a coherent Hindu religion.
Bharatendu Harishchandra is often considered the father of Hindi literature and Hindi theatre.