Peculiar Holi Crowds

Peculiar Holi crowds, We mean revellers, Paglus, paglets, Tin drum beaters, hoarse singers and freckled dancers, All in pyaar ke rang mei, Holi ke sang, Saying Holi hai, Holi hai, bhaiyya, The old and the new guys, We mean the folks Hurling dust So playful and sportive Doing themazak, The mazak of Holi, Nature is changing And we too with Marking the gusto of the winds, The flame of the forest with lovely blooms Sprouting with a fine foliage of red buds and glistening leaves. A motley, A motley of strange crowds, Peculiar gathering On the street, by the roadside, At the town square, Marking who comes from where, Who has what, Some black-faced, dust-stained, Some ash-smeared, coal-tar dust smeared, Some looking rosy, some red, Some yellow, some green, Some going with the torn pants, Some with ttorn shirts, Oh, strange people, A motley of strange crowds!