In 1893, when Mahatma Karamchand Gandhi was thrown off a train in South Africa because of the color of his skin, he focused his intention on mobilizing his fellow Indians against racism without using the violent methods of the oppressors, Dr. Veena Howard, director of the M.K. Gandhi Center: Inner Peace and Sarvodaya, wrote in a recent article.

Inspired by Gandhi, Civil Rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta used nonviolent tactics as they honed their powers of intent to fight the forces of oppression, Howard added. As Fresno State opens the physical location for the Gandhi Center, author Mallika Chopra will visit campus to talk about how to move from thought to action to outcome and live the lives we intend to live.

The M.K. Gandhi Center: Inner Peace and Sarvodaya will hold a grand opening event at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18, at its new location at the Fresno State Library (Room 3109).

Following the grand opening, the President’s Lecture Series will feature media entrepreneur and author Mallika Chopra, presenting her talk “Living with Intent,” at 5 p.m. at the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Student Union. It will also be streamed online. The lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is required. The author of eight books, Chopra’s work educates on the benefits of meditation and mindfulness.

For more information about the lecture or for disability accommodations, contact the Office of the President at 559.278.0178 or events@mail.fresnostate.edu.

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