A 14-year-old bonded child labour Kalu Kumar was working in a carpet unit at Saraipitha (Varanasi). He was at home with his father Sri Salika Sada , mother Srimati Dulari Devi, two brothers and four sisters. His father is an agricultural labourer, while mother manages the household chores. They do not have their own cultivable land. Kalu’s elder brother has gone to Punjab to earn money. Kalu’s parents are totally illiterate. Neither Kalu, nor his siblings were interested to go to school.

He would often watch children go to a nearby school and think of the day when he would also attend school . However, luck intervened. A local BBA activist told his grand mother about the BBA (SACCS) rehabilitation centre Bal Ashram in Virat Nagar, Rajasthan. In a few days time, Balai like many other children joined the Bal Ashram. Today, his dream of studying has come true. He is at present a student of a local school, currently studying in class 5th. A great singer and entertainer, he enthralls his audiences with songs having an underlying social message.

When Kalu was only eight, one day he and his friends had gone to the field for grazing goats. Two persons named Akali and Bhupa suddenly arrived and kidnapped the two children.

Kalu learned work after getting training for fifteen days for which he was paid Rs.100 only per month. The work environment was deplorable and intolerable. Everyday Kalu was beaten and abused by his loom owner. Even now one can see the scar made by his master which is present on his stomach and palm. It was the extreme inhumanity of the master that instead of giving treatment he filled the cuts with matchstick powder. Everyday at 4 a.m. the work would start and he used to work till 10p.m. For one year, Kalu would knit carpet after carpet. Kalu got respite from such a miserable life after he was identified and rescued by SACCS/BBA activists. Another 18 children were also rescued with Kalu and all of them belong to North Bihar.

In 1998, Kalu was brought to the Bal Ashram and now he is acquiring knowledge, education and vocational training. Kalu is very much interested in acting and he has been acting upon his own trauma during the campaign of Mukti Carvan, which is run by SACCS/BBA.

Recently he had the privilege of meeting President Bill Clinton of U.S.A to whom he said "I have been freed from bondage but several of my brothers and sisters are still languishing in it."