“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds…” – Nesta Robert Marley Aka Bob Marley

May be its time ME wrote something bout jAh Legend, Bob. Those words formed part of the lyrics in Bob’s Redemption Song. It was a truly magical composition with lyrics that drill into one’s inner scruples. Of course Bob did it as part of the Rastafarian movement he had intended to globalize. The movement as we popularly know though largely limited to the Caribbean and South America is far from being popular elsewhere. At least, I know a few of ‘em Rastas who gave me company in Bombay (Banana Boat Song in the background).

The only disparity nevertheless was I didn’t have time to carry the Rasta ideology; it was again another offshoot of Christianity in its diverse manifestation to the commoner. When am speaking of the Rasta here, I don’t jus mean the dreadlocks and marijuana. Rasta’s a cult that don’t resemble ne other cults but is a cult that was formed as a retort to Christian hypocrisy against colour and race,

When Bob wore a wrist band or the Rastas usually wore that weird looking skuller or the dread cap (The tam worn by the true Rastas) that was stuffed with dreadlocks, ppl wondered why the same colour for everything that’s from the Caribbean. Its cos the Rastas attribute a meaning to each of those colours: The black is for the skin of the people. The red is for the blood of all living things in the world. The gold is for the sun and Jah's (God) light that shines on people. The green is for the earth that people walk on, to which Rastas feel a special connection. These colours represent the Rastafari way of life.

One does sight the Sadhus in Hridwar or Banaras with a chillum in hand coned to the delight on the onlooker (mostly hippies who’r misguided that the sadhus smoke up cos Lord Shiva SEZ SO ….). There are a number of instances when u do find that the Rastas also have dreadlocks and they do use the chillums more oft than the sadhus and that again is a way of life for ‘em. The use of Marijuana as an entheogenic drug is, a concept constantly rebelling the protests on legality of usage and the dark looms of enigma surrounding a historic justification. The Rasta way of life and the movement is way beyond what we perceive it to be and the intricacies need more “Rasta Reasoning Sessions” in a lifetime to comprehend.

As we know when Bob left us for good in the quest for Zion, we paid a huge price in losing the world’s greatest exponent of Reggae in the name of religion. Unlike rockstars who achieve rock martyrdom through death by overdose, Bob didn’t die of overdose; Bob was a Rasta all his life and resisted treatment to the cancer, he bred, before returnin to dust. Bob signed off on May 11, 1981, two yrs before I was even born; a sad day in the history of reggae and Rasta. Bob took to the grave in the company of his Gibson les Paul (guitar) and a cannabis bud along with the ring he treasured throughout his life with us. He’s no more but am sure he mus’ be jammin and standin up for the buffallo soldier wherever he is like he always wanted …Iron, Lion and with Zion !!!!! [ One luv – Bob in the bgm]