Meet this Mumbai Bob Marley superfan, who has built the ‘Temple of Bob Marley’

Itrsquos not easy to find 64yearold Pritpal Singhrsquos metal works workshop in the busy industrial complex opposite Mahimrsquos Paradise Theatre It doesnrsquot help that his gate doesnrsquot bear his name lsquoTemple of Bob Marleyrsquo reads his front door painted in a Rastafarian yellow hue as a hat tip to his icon Wersquove found our man As the doors close behind us the metallic rumble outside drowns out to make room for Singhrsquos humble speaker setup thatrsquos playing Marleyrsquos hit Natural MysticFrom left The entrance to Temple of Bob Marley a glass artwork depicting Marley PICSDEVASHISH KAMBLEldquoMarley didnrsquot care if it was 10 or 10000 of us in his audiencerdquo Singh recalls his first tryst with the reggae icon in 1978 The Mahim resident was in London for a wedding in the family and decided to walk into Rainbow Theatre to catch his firstever concert He walked out a Rastafarian ldquoI took Marleyrsquos message everywhere I wentrdquo he says That included a brief work stint in Kenya where Singh had his first Rastafarian temple experience before heading back to IndiaIn Mumbai young curious musicians had started flocking the workshop by word of mouth Rapper Jacquilin Lucas aka JQueen of rap group Wild Wild Women recalls ldquoWe would make a beeline to this room every evening Uncle Singhrsquos guitar would come out and wersquod sing Marley hits Redemption was a crowd favourite It became a safe space to talk about music peace and unityrdquo While the number has shrunk over the years theyrsquove left a mark ldquoSome young boys got paints one day and said we want to paint the place Rastafarianrdquo Singh shares standing amid flag motifs slogans and glass art tributes around himA motif with the Rastafarian colours and Bob Marleyrsquos lyrics lsquoIron Lion Zionrsquo at the spaceWhy did we not know of this musical world hidden in plain sight on Lady Jamshedji Road The answer lies in a big misconception and an even bigger elephant in the room Young people equate Bob Marley with marijuana ldquoI found myself sitting next to a gentleman in a Bob Marley Tshirt in an autorickshaw once I asked him if he knew the man on his shirt He shrugged it off he only liked the cool hairrdquo Singh laughs Jacquilin chimes in recalling a smoke shop owner in Bhandup who plays Marleyrsquos hits to sell his productsSingh browses through vinyl records on his workdeskSingh doesnrsquot worry too much though Hersquos content as long as the playlist on his computer keeps looping Once in a while he stops to switch to his trusted vintage vinyl record player nothing beats the warmth of vinyl he believes Before the last song for the day we think out loud what Marley would have made of the world today Singh shuffles to find just the right song in his playlist Itrsquos Marleyrsquos 1976 hit Who The Cap FitldquoMan to man is so unjust childrenYou donrsquot know who to trustYour worst enemy could be your best friendAnd your best friend your worst enemyrdquoAt Temple of Bob Marley Industrial House Bhagoji Keer Marg Mahim WestCall 9892421840 call before visitingPritpal Singh shares a moment with actor Ranveer SinghGully Boyrsquos Rastafari addaWord of mouth goes a long way even as far as tinsel town In 2018 a few regular jammers from the Temple of Bob Marley auditioned for the 2019 Ranveer Singh starrer Gully Boy ldquoWhen Singh heard of such an adda he took the keys from his driver put our boys in the backseat and asked them to bring him hererdquo the owner reveals That day he remembers a large crowd gathered outside the industrial complex for the first time ldquoHaving bouncers outside a Rastafarian hub was oddrdquo he admitsDonisha Prendergast left meets Pritpal Singh in MahimWhen a Marley came visitingIn 2018 Bob Marleyrsquos granddaughter Donisha Prendergast came knocking on Singhrsquos doors The musician was in Mumbai for a session with the children of Dharavi and heard of the space ldquoIrsquove seen your grandfather perform liverdquo Singh told her A threehourlong jamming session followed ldquoShe dialled her brother and popular reggae musician Skip Marleyrsquos number to show him what she had just stumbled upon To be honest I couldnrsquot make much of his thick Jamaican accent But that was a day to rememberrdquo Singh smilesThe ultimate reggae playlist1 Three Little Birds2 Redemption3 Who The Cap Fit4 Natural Mystic5 Sun is Shining