The first Fresno State Talks lecture of 2016 kicked off on Thursday in the Satellite Student Union with a lecture about Mahatma Gandhi.

The lecture featured Dr. Veena Howard, a religious studies professor.

“I came to attend today’s lecture because I wanted to hear what ideas professor Howard has to give to the community,” said Chris Carreon, music composition major. ­

Howard grew up in India where she continuously heard stories about Gandhi from her parents and around her town, where she later decided to study Gandhi. ­­­­

The lecture included a talk about Gandhi’s transformation from a child to how he became a leader.

Howard said Gandhi was born in India, however moved to South Africa to work as a lawyer. After being racially discriminated on a train while in South Africa, he decided to transform himself.

His transformation included the use of various experiments with moral principles such as diet control, reducing personal possession, self-reliance and more.

Howard said that there are six principles of nonviolence — “active defiance of unjust systems in laws,” “attack the evil, not the opponent,” “convert to the opponent,” “self-suffering and publicity,” “practice of ahimsa [nonviolence] in all aspect of life,” and “training for nonviolence.”

“[Gandhi] taught that personal discipline, personal transformation needs to [include] social and political transformation,” Howard said. “In order to fight for the things of our kind, we have to transform ourselves first.”

Although the lecture focused on Gandhi, Howard said that one message hidden in her lecture is that, ”we all have the potential to be what we strive for.”

“I think that this message is very universal and it’s needed for all of those who are striving to transform themselves [and] better themselves,” Howard said.

“I hope that they [the audience] learn something new,” Howard said. “I hope that they learn from the journey of a very renowned and prominent human being of [the] 20th century.”

Music and philosophy major, Katrina Bissett is currently enrolled in Howard’s course and attended the lecture to show her support.

“She [Howard] is really enlightening…and she knows what she’s talking about very well so I trust her knowledge [about Gandhi],” Bissett said.

Fresno State Talks will continue with a lecture from Dr. Lisa Bryant on Feb. 18 and Dr. Martin Shapiro on Feb. 24.

Bissett said that she was once enrolled in Bryant’s class and is looking forward to her talk.

“I’d just be looking forward for what our professors have to say in a more freer environment where they can go deeper in what they have an interest,” Bissett said.