Davis, now 76, is in India to protest the nuclear tests and catch up with close friend and guru Dr P Natarajan. His experiences as a B-17 bomber during World War II gave him the impetus to give up his citizenship and start the organisation. ``In June 1944, while flying at the height of 29,000 ft over Germany, I realised that there was something drastically wrong with a position where I was casually dropping bombs over cities. I was killing people and getting paid for it.''

He then grew convinced that the concept of nation states was incorrect. ``When I met Nehru in 1956, he also agreed with the view that the only way to peace is world government. Gandhi's principles too lead to this path. Einstein,who started the nuclear age had also said, `Atomic energy cannot be out in the hands of nation states. We must have a world government.'''

Davis' early self-doubt as a world citizen was, to an extent, resolved by Natarajan, whom he met on a boat sailing to the US in 1950. ``He supplied to the concept of world government the missing link of philosophy,'' said Davis, adding that the concept of world government has been expounded and explained in the vedantas. Interestingly, Davis rebuffs the idea of the United Nations as a world body. ``It is a smokescreen to protect each nation's right to wage war,'' he scoffed.

Travelling the world over with the message of peace and unity, this former Broadway actor has been jailed at least 34 times. When he first declared himself a world citizen after renouncing US citizenship on May 25, 1948, the idea spread all across like wild fire. In Paris at that time, where after seeking asylum in the UN Secretariat, he was finally recognized by the French government without anypapers, even as people marched in Japan in his support. Today, a quarter of a million people hold a world citizen passport issued by the World Service Authority, which has offices in Tokyo and Washington. Davis' activities are funded from fees for issuing passports.

Off to Hong Kong now, this world citizen leaves you with a message, also with no borders: ``Everyone is a de facto citizen of the world. We are all members of the human family. Nobody can deny that.''

The World Service Organisation's Internet address is: www.together.org/orgs/wew
e-mail: 76507.2343@compuserve.com.