THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, Nov 16: Avanish Vats, son of Rajeev Ranjan Kumar, Special Secretary, Drinking Water and Sanitation, a visually impaired scholar from Ranchi, Jharkhand, has been selected as one of five Indians to join the prestigious Rhodes Scholar class of 2025. He will undertake a fully funded program at the University of Oxford next year.
Avanish, whose mother Sangeeta Ranjan played a key role in shaping his career, completed his secondary and senior secondary education at Delhi Public School, Ranchi, and earned a B.A. in Philosophy (Honours) from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi.
As an advocate for inclusivity, he served as the coordinator of the Enabling Unit, a UGC-mandated society for the welfare of disabled students, where he worked to make the college campus more inclusive for students with disabilities.
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His research interests include the intersection of epistemology and ethics, with a focus on making philosophy accessible to disabled individuals and introducing anti-ableist perspectives in academic philosophy.
He conducted research under the Jharkhand Education Project Council, exploring the social nature of disability and discrimination, particularly in access to education and healthcare. Additionally, he worked under Jharkhand’s State Disability Commissioner, Abhay Nandan Ambashta, on similar issues.
Avanish has held leadership roles as the Secretary of St. Stephen’s Philosophical Society, one of India’s most esteemed academic societies, and as Editor-in-Chief of the society’s publication. His work reflects his commitment to advancing inclusivity and accessibility in academia and beyond.
