Article November 27, 2000 Issue

'Peace is the only way'

Conversation with Indian collage artist and global peace activist V. Balu

By Kim Shippey

Since 1982, V. Balu has been a one-man global peace mission through art. He has traveled from his home in Bangalore, India, to many parts of the world, exhibiting the paper collages in which he has specialized, and talking with people (including schoolchildren) about the power of peace—inner peace—and the individual's role in promoting it.

His collages have been featured on the covers of the international edition of The Reader's Digest and The UNESCO Courier; they have been used as cover designs by the Indian Post and Telegraphs Department; and they have adorned calendars, shopping bags, and greeting cards (including UNICEF cards). Mr. Balu's works are in public and private collections in Germany, Kenya, Switzerland, Japan, Iran, the United Kingdom, the United States, and India.