From the beginning of 1890s the Armenian reality became more and more difficult and oppressive. Massacres in Western Armenia became periodic. Turkey began openly and unpunished, to implement its monstrous plan for the Armenian issue – the genocide – encouraged by contradictions between the great powers.
Toumanian’s most characteristic feature is the harmonious unity of the poet and the citizen. As a poet he responded of his motherland’s call with his works, as a citizen he couldn’t stay away from the national liberation struggle. There is vague information that the poet supported Hnchakyan party during 1894-1896. According to contemporaries he joined that party on the advice of Ghazaros Aghayan and was simply filled with inexhaustible energy to act. This explains his participation in the works of the committees helping the Armenian refugees from Western Armenia to the Caucasus, in 1895 in Tiflis, Akhalkalak, Alexandrapol, Yerevan, Etchmiadzin, etc.
Toumanian's position towards parties and public groups was unequivocal. He was completely independent on all of that. “We should better call him… “Non-partisan”, “neutral”- Simon Hovvyan wrote. Aram Arakelyan confirms the same – “Hovhannes Toumanian not only did not submit to this or that flow of our periodical press, but also did not join any of the political parties that emerged in the Armenian reality”. “I could not join this or that political party, although... there were attempts by my friends for that”, - said Toumanian.
Toumanian's cooperation with Hnchakyan party, which was limited only to activities within the framework of the “Collecting and Implementing Committee”, soon stops.
In November 1895, Toumanian made a long journey to Borjomi- Akhaltsikhe - Akhalkalaki -Aleksandrapol-Kars-Aleksandrapol-Gharakilisa-Dilijan-Yerevan-Etchmiadzin. His mission was to organize in those places “Collecting and Implementing Committee” branches or “Local Committees”. In Alexandropol, Toumanian was hosted by Isahakyan family for a week.
“Every conscious Armenian had serious concerns about the Western Armenians’ fate and the Armenian question. Of course, Ohanes's trip would have to be related to that situation… He was in endless meetings with the intellectuals and society representatives of the city, was interested in the refugees’ condition and filled notebooks with their stories”, - Isahakyan wrote in his memoirs.
During November 1895’s journey Toumanian had communications with intellectuals, society and people in those cities. Many of them met the poet face to face for the first time and expressed their love and respect to him. In one of his letters the poet wrote. “On my way I have got more honor than punishment… Honestly, I didn't know I would get so much attention. Poor people, who are happy, even with their poverty”.
A number of compositions – “Two Black Clouds”, “Night”, “Song of the Refugee” poems, “The Shepherd of the Mountains” and “Two Fathers” (printed in 1907) short stories – were, undoubtedly, created under the influence of 1894-1896 cases and particularly the 1895 trip impressions.
In the middle of 1895, Toumanian, through Aghayan, made contacts with a group of young intellectuals working in Baku, which was known among friends with the name “Ojakh”. The main members were Simon Hovvyan, Aram Nazaretyan, Sedrak Balayan, Sahak Matinyan, Sisak Ohanyan and Mkrtich Beglaryan. The first four were schoolmates from Nersisyan School, and served in Hripsimian and Mesropian schools in Baku. “Ojakh” also had honored guests: Aghayan, Shirvanzade, Toumanian and others. The friends’ meetings in “Ojakh” took the form of more literary readings.
The “Ojakh’s” main members had literary rather than political inclinations; they organized the distribution of Aghayan, Shirvanzade and Toumanian works in Baku and made a lot of effort to solve the problem of providing them materially. Thanks to “Ojakh” members the Armenian Philanthropic Society of Baku appointed stipend to Aghayan, Shirvanzade and Toumanian in January 1897.
Since the middle of 1890s, the national culture persecution, the schools and social-educational companies’ closure, has led to uprisings. In order to confront the nation destruction policy of Tsarism, the secret student society “Tsiatsan” was organized in Tiflis, in 1898, in which Toumanian also participated.
“Tsiatsan” brought together the students of almost all Armenian state secondary schools of Tiflis – male and female gymnasiums, Nersisian, Hovnanian and Gayanian, real, technical and other professional schools. Additional classes were held in the subjects of Armenian language, Armenian literature and history. The number of “Tsiatsan” members during the five years of its existence (1898-1902) varied between 200 and 500. Each school had its own group, and there was a “Mother group” in which all members participated. Toumanian was one of the Armenian literature teachers of the “Mother group”, and his lessons were very different from the others. The lessons were held in Toumanian’s apartment, on Behbutyan Street (“Vernatoon”). One of the “Tsiatsan” members, Margar Avetisyan, wrote in his memoirs “…none of the lessons were so lively... and none of them gave us as much as Toumanian's “unprogrammed”, “methodless” conversation. No lecture gave us the same pleasure as Toumanian's…"
Social and political issues affecting the public mind of the time, particularly the Armenian issue, were also discussed during the lessons. General meetings took place two or three times a year. During these meetings there were literary parts and also modest feasts.
“The meetings, where Toumanian was present, remained indelible in the memory of the participants. He was tall, with bright eyes, smiling face, brought with him a breath of enthusiasm, joy and sparkle that infected everyone,” recalls M. Avetisyan.
Along with active social and political activities, young Toumanian was seriously engaged in self-development, studied the Armenian and world literature classics’ works, continued the comprehensive recognition of the people's life, accumulation of life experience, and collected samples of folklore.
The poet submitted for publishing several creative and translation works, which he would turn to in the following years to further edit and bring them to perfection – “Loretsi Sako” (1896), Byron's “The Prisoner of Chillion” (1896) and Lermontov's “Mtsiri” (1896).