Janabai shares dais with her contemporaries Sant Dynaeshwar and Sant Namdev – poet saints of Maharastra.  Her 300 odd abhangs have become part of Namdev’s repertoire of devotional songs to Lord Vittal.  Here is one where the Lord Vittal works alongside her. These are not household chores as is usually described for a housemaid.  This is work, labor that provides her food and shelter.

While Jani fetches water
Lord Rishikesh follows her
*
He assists her always
By filling water pots
When Jani draws water
He carries heavy pots
Yard’s swept, cowdung smeared,
He then washes the dirty clothes.
Says Naama’s maid Jani.

Anu tells you why the voice of the 13th century Marathi poet is important even now: because her poetry ‘reminds me of modern workplace dilemmas of gender equity, prescriptive and descriptive roles in labor distribution and fixed notions of status. The insights into her times are pertinent for our times also, since the social fabric remains largely unchanged for large sections of the Indian society.’