Dr. Bharat Rathod: Caste as a Protected Category in the Anti-discriminatory Framework

Indigo Radio

Bharat Rathod has a doctorate degree in International Education from University of Massachusetts Amherst and his research interest comprises caste, higher education in India and diversity, equity and inclusion framework. His book, Dalit Academic Experiences: Stories of Caste, Stigma and Exclusion in Indian Higher Education, will be published in 2022. He worked in in the ‘Inclusive Universities: Linking Diversity, Equity and Excellence for the 21st Century’ research project (2014 – 2017) which was funded by the United States-India Educational Foundation. Bharat is a trained facilitator and facilitated workshops on development topics and also worked as an instructional technologist at University of Massachusetts Amherst. He worked in the nonprofit sector and served as a leader in a community-based organization in his underprivileged neighborhood in India. Over the last decade, he has been associated with youth mentoring activities to promote higher education among the excluded communities in India. Bharat is developing an online mentoring platform, RiseUp Mentoring, to mentor and offer online resources to underrepresented youth from India. He has been associated with community development initiatives in India and involved with civil society organizations in India and the United States.