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| THE SWEEPER - Jaadu Wali | ||||||
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Here is another of the East Indian Ladies from the series
"Work is
Worship." This lady who sweeps
the ground in front of her home to make way for a special visitor is a
portrait of a woman I watched every day at the ashram
in India. She swept the stone
floor after all the devotees were settled for darshan (viewing a holy man)
and before Sathya Sai Baba came out to walk among us in his bare feet. She was
remarkable in her attention to even the smallest ant in Swami's path. |
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| MATERIALS | ||||||
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STORY |
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When I was in India in 1996, I
noticed an Indian sweeper, an older woman, whose job it was every day to
prepare the stone floor for Swami's appearance in the area outside the
temple. She was an expert with her broom. She could spot a piece of dirt
the size of a needle's eye or an ant and swish them away with her facile
broom. I watched her, fascinated with the look of happiness and
concentration on her face.
Truly this was worship. I knew I had seen this look often, whenever I saw someone truly adept at their chosen task and performing it with great love. This was the
conception of the series: Work Is
Worship. The poem about her
took shape in my mind shortly after I finished her. I had
an Indian friend pose for me so I could get the correct bend and tilt of
the back and placement of the arms. |
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| POEM | ||||||
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