Here's a short essay:
The traditional zavazvi was an acoustic mirror of its time. Two women, often sisters or sisters-in-law, would engage in a verbal duel ( bhand-bhida )—one accusing the other of laziness, the other retorting about a miserly husband. The topics were immediate: a broken roof, a nosy mother-in-law, or the village gossip. It was oral, ephemeral, and deeply local. The zavazvi thrived on immediacy, rhythm, and a shared context. A woman could sing, “ Javave chulivari, kashyala karu me kari ” (I have to cook on the hearth, why should I bother with ghee?), subtly critiquing her household’s poverty without direct confrontation.