Vatsun

Vatsun is derived from Sanskrit ‘Vachan’ meaning word/speech. This is because it has no particular pattern of versification or rhyme scheme. The metres and rhyme schemes of vatsun are varied, but generally each unit is a stanza of three lines followed by a refrain (vooj). Vatsun bears a resemblance to Urdu lyric. Vatsun is also similar to the ghazals of the Middle East and iambic pentameter of the Western world.

In poetry it is a popular age-old folk-form dating back to the fourteenth century, when Lal Ded and Hazart Sheikh-ul-Alam (alias Nund Rishi) wrote in Kashmiri language the devotional poetry depicting their mystic experiences, love for God, love for others, and folk dancing.