Bob Marley: Celebration in Dimapur

Dimapur, Feb 3 : From Jamaica’s dingy ghettoes to Australia’s open outback, America’s smoked-glass night clubs to Scotia Nova’s medieval-ish theaters, February 6 will be for millions of people a solemn date to celebrate the only musician in history to be called a ‘Revolutionary’ – Bob Marley. And for Nagaland, for the very first time, will be joining the globe in celebrating the Man and his music, in Dimapur on the 6th.

Music fans from around the world will be staging concerts, take out fund drives and peace marches and of course, abundantly complemented by the mandatory menu of Bob Marley’s “rebel music” that is his legacy today.

For decades, Reggae music’s biggest icon has remained the symbol of the mysticism of the plenteous marijuana packaged for brotherhood love, the Rastafarian poetry, free peace and oneness with the mankind’s cosmos. February 6, the man’s birthday, will be celebrated with a fitting tune in Dimapur’s Jumping Bean café.

The band of the hour will be Roots Reggae from Meghalaya’s Marley-fanatic city, Shillong. India is no stranger to the Bob Marley and Bob Dylan tribute concerts (read Lou Mojaw and The Great Society generation). Marley fans are aware of the 12 years stint the tribute concerts have been on in Shillong. 

The dates have been confirmed and Roots Reggae will perform the Bob Marley birthday tribute at Dimapur’s hangout Jumping Bean, in Kher Mahal. Roots Reggae is a ten-member reggae band based in Shillong. This is not the first time the tribute series has been done in India. But certainly for Nagaland, this will be for the very first time.

“We specially wanted to bring in a taste of Reggae music to Nagaland which has never been done before, or has been attempted but received poorly. We hope to make this an annual thing if it kicks off well with the audience here in Dimapur,” stated Jumping Bean’s proprietors Sarah Pongen and Nokcha Aier in a letter.

It was informed that Jumping Bean is solely organizing this event ‘in terms of funds.’ A sound company, Dual Sound is sponsoring the sound system for the Marley tribute, Jumping Bean informed.

Bob Marley or Robert Nesta “Bob” Marley was born on February 6, 1945. He was the front man, songwriter and guitarist for the Ska-reggae bands The Wailers (1964–1974) and Bob Marley & The Wailers (1974–1981). Marley was responsible for spreading the Jamaican Ska/Reggae style of music and the Jamaican ‘religion’, the Rastafari movement to the world.

Bob Marley's best known hits include ‘I Shot the Sheriff’, ‘No Woman, No Cry’ and ‘Redemption Song.’ He has, with The Wailers and the Bob Marley & The Wailers about 15 studio albums and a score other compilations, live albums and recordings. The compilation, Legend (1984), released three years after his death, is reggae's best-selling album. The albums went being 10-times Platinum in the United States alone and selling 20 million copies worldwide.

Bob Marley died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami on the morning of May 11, 1981, at the age of 36. He died of melanoma in his lungs and brain. Bob Marley was accorded a state funeral by the Jamaican government on May 21, 1981.

 

via Morung Express