I'm happiest to be in India: Rohan Marley

It’s true that the Marley name needs no introduction, but if we had to introduce Rohan Marley, son of Bob Marley and Janet Hunt, we’ll say, he is an athlete, an entrepreneur and an ardent follower of his father’s philosophies. And this Marley boy loves everything that’s India.

To begin with, we ask him if he knew what his name meant and he says, “Yes, I researched and got to know that in Sanskrit it means ‘the ascended one’. I was named after West Indian cricketer of Indo-Guyanese descent, Rohan Kanhai.” Rohan is happiest being in India. “I feel like home here, where everyone gets my name right. I would love to settle in India because I want to practice yoga, which helps attain inner peace,” expresses Rohan. All dressed in casuals, he then sits back on the sofa and tells us about the responsibilities that come with  the Marley tag. “Being a Marley is a big responsibility because you have grown up seeing your father doing great work. And you feel why wouldn’t I want to do that? If not do, at least attempt it,” he says.

Taking off from that thought, Rohan today is incorporating the ideals of his dad in everything he does — from his clothing line, Tuff Gong, which is named after Bob Marley’s music label to Marley Coffee, his own range of organic coffee products.
And most recently, The House of Marley, a range of eco-friendly audio products. “It’s my father’s vision that guides our production process. From recyclable plastic to waste organic cotton, recyclable aluminum to soya bean ink— product to packaging, everything is produced using organic material. And the profits of the company go to 1Love, our family’s charitable organisation,” explains Rohan, adding, “It was never about where we wanted to be, but who wants us to be there. And we try to find a charity cause wherever we launch. Like in India, have associated ourselves with the Light of Life Trust.”

About how House Of Marley came to be, Rohan recalls the instance, “I saw this girl in Mumbai who was retailing Bob Marley bags with my father’s face on it. Trust me it wasn’t any great. But obviously I couldn’t stop her. That would be like going against my father’s principles of letting people do what they love to. So I thought why not give my dad’s fans something more exclusive that’s ‘trademark Marley’. Therefore, the House Of Marley.”

Though he’s primarily an athlete and an entrepreneur, Rohan does have an inclination towards music. “Had to have it, or it would have been a shame. After college, I started training to play drums and guitar. But when my girl friend told me that I played bad drums,  I cut down on practicing and got into business,” shares Rohan. While he might not be a performer himself, this Jr. Marley doesn’t seem very impressed with musicians today. “I would love to see musicians play more instruments. I feel they are not devoted enough and don’t rehearse as much. They do everything electronically. But still there are a handful who are making good music.”

Family affair
“We are a well-bonded family; we all stay together. I remember as a kid we would wake up early and run on the beach and play football. Steve and Ziggy have really showed all of us how to be and how to take all that our father has given us forward.”