User:Insights100

Introduction
Women have historically found various media of expressing their thoughts, concerns, feelings, dreams and desires while engaged in their daily chores around domestic work, farm and cattle rearing activities, fetching water or firewood and alike. Folk literature includes various forms of expression like songs, dances, religious narrations, poetry, mythological stories, etc. One such form of natural expression for women in Maharashtra, India, was OOVI - a simplistic poetry that reflects the feelings and concerns of the women. OOVI is a self composed poetry by women while working on fields or doing domestic chores. The composer for many of these oovi's is not known and they were passed on to new generation orally. This form of folk song is rapidly diminishing and therefore calls for preserving this treasure for the future.

History
This form of self expression was predominant in Western Ghats and Vidharbha Marathwada region of Maharashtra during 15th to early 19th centuries until women were unable to read or write. The poems were short, mostly four liners but loaded with wisdom. The subjects ranged from family issues, relationships, child care and appreciation of one’s sons and daughters, various festivals and family functions like wedding, naming ceremony, thread ceremony and alike. Some of the oovi’s reflected the then socio political situation, the independence movements, brief references to revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev, the dandi march and non co-operation movement. The first attempt of compilation of oovi's was undertaken by veteran marathi writer Malati Bedekar in her book 'Loksahityache Lene'.Later eminent writers like Dr. Tara Bhawalkar and Dr. Sarojini Babar made valuable research and contributions to the compilation of folk literature in Maharashtra.