How a Marathi play was built from unrecorded grindmill songs of women
Mayuri Ravindra’s route into the material was not academic, though the research, once it began, was extensive
Mumbai: The play 'Bhirrr...' began with the suspended saris in a theater, an image that came to playwright Mayuri Ravindra through her discovery of women's songs from the fields and kitchens of a village in Kolhapur. These unrecorded "ovis" are the archives of women's memories, struggles, resilience, wit, humor, and unique perspectives on life.
Ravindra's journey to create the play began with the book 'Bahinachi gani,' which connected her to the poet Bahinabai Chaudhari and inspired her to explore women's unrecorded songs. She later conducted extensive research using archives, scholarly works, and personal interviews with women in Abdullat. The Niloufer Sagar Alumni Production Grant provided crucial financial and mentorship support, allowing Ravindra to refine her work into a production that celebrates the voices of women who have been overlooked by traditional literary institutions.
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