Ark is a Bangladeshi rock band formed in 1991 in

Dhaka City Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

by keyboardist Ashiquzzaman Tulu. The original founder members are Ashiquzzaman Tulu,

Ridwan Nabi Pancham Ridwan may refer to: *Riḍwan, the keeper of paradise in Islam *Ridwan (name), an Arabic given masculine name **Radwan (name), a list of people that includes ''Ridwan'' *Ridwan (place) or Redwan, a place and a Yazidi principality in the Ottoman Em ...

and Shamim. As of 2017, the band line-up re-consists of lead vocalist

Syed Hasanur Rahman Syed Hasanur Rahman (born April 19, 1974) popularly known as Hasan, is a Bengali singer-songwriter and lead vocalist of the Bangladeshi popular Rock band ''Ark''. He joined the band in 1996 as the main vocalist. After six years of journey with the ...

, keyboardist Tinku Azizur Rahman and drummer Hassan Towhidur Rahman (Rumi Rahman). Since their debut album "মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (Muktijuddho)" in 1991, the band has released five studio albums and some contributed albums. These have included songs like "আমি পাহাড়ের চূরায় (Ami Paharer Churay)", "ভুলে গেছি (Bhuley Gechi)", "সুইটি (Sweety)", "যারে যা (Jare Ja)", "দূরে বহু দূরে (Doorey Bohu Doorey)", "সেই মেয়েটি (Shei Meyeti)" which have all been top hits in Bangladeshi rock music. Ark rose to mainstream fame in the 1990s, and is one of the "Big Three of Rock" along with Feelings/Nagar Baul and

LRB LRB may refer to: * Love Runs Blind, a Bangladeshi rock band * '' Lego Rock Band'', a game in the ''Rock Band'' video game series * Liquid rocket booster * Little Red Book, quotations from Chairman Mao * Little River Band, an Australian music act * ...

, who were responsible for developing and popularizing rock music in Bangladesh in the 1990s.

History

Formation and ''"মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (Liberation War)"'' (1991–1992)

Ark was formed in 1991 in Dhaka City by keyboardist and vocalist Ashiquzzaman Tulu when he met guitarist Pancham, who was playing guitar in the studio. Ashiquzzaman Tulu was a prominent figure in the Bangladeshi rock music industry in the 1980s and 1990s, who was a founder member of Chime, along with

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.

, Shauqat Ali Emon and aly Sumon (current vocal of Pentagon). Tulu was the principal composer of Chime. In the late 1980s, after the release of their second album, there was a huge dispute between Chime and

Winning Winning may refer to: * Victory Film * ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman * '' Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams Music * ''Winning'', an album by Ten Foot Pole, 2022 ...

, another legendary contemporary band, over the rights to the track "মন কী যে চায়? (What the Heart Wants?)". The song was written, tuned and composed by Haydar Hossain of Winning, and was also included in Winning's debut album. Winning won the rights to the song in a Trial. This episode was detrimental to Chime's reputation and eventually, Ashiquzzaman Tulu left Chime. Frustrated Tulu started his career as a composer, but as a veteran band musician, couldn't live without being in a band. When he met Pancham and some other musicians, most notably Partha Majumder, elder brother of

Bappa Mazumdar Shubhashish Mazumder Bappa (born 5 February 1972), commonly known as Bappa Mazumder, is a Bangladeshi singer, lyricist and national film award winner composer. He is the lead singer of the rock band Dalchhut. Bappa is famous for his Bengali r ...

, he formed the band Ark. The band's first line-up consisted of keyboardist and vocalist Ashiquzzaman Tulu, lead guitarist and vocalist Pancham, Partha Pratim, lead vocalist Shamim, bassist Ferdous, Mobin and Jagu. This first line-up was without a drummer. Ark released their first studio album, "মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (Liberation War)", from the record label Sargam Records in 1991. This album featured the songs "সেদিনো আকাশে (That Day In the Sky)" and "হারিকেন লুন্ঠন (Hurricane Lantern)", which was a failure. "সেদিনো আকাশে (That Day in the Sky)" was originally a Chime song composed by Tulu, based on the tune of the theme song of the movie ''

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

''. In late 1991, Ferdous, Mobin and Jagu left the band and went abroad. In 1992, Raja joined Ark as a vocalist and Shishir joined as a bassist. Both were from the band Rock Brigade. They were part of the band when Ark performed at its first concert, arranged by BAMBA at the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

on 26 April 1992.

''"তাজমহল (Tajmahal)"'' (1993–1996)

In 1993, Hasan joined Ark as its lead vocalist, having been recommended by his good friend

. Then Joy from

joined Ark as a drummer. Ark finally had a complete line-up and started working on their second album. In 1994, Joy left the band and Rezwan joined as the drummer from the band Phantom Lord. By the end of 1994, Shishir left the band for going abroad and was replaced by Bulbul in 1995, from the band

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning " forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titan god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, kn ...

as a touring bassist. Ark signed a record deal with Soundtek for their second studio album in late 1995. In 1996, Ark released their second studio album, "তাজমহল (Tajmahal)", on Soundtek. The album was a phenomenal success and the band became one of the most popular rock bands of the 1990s. The album featured the songs "সুইটি", "একাকী ", "তাজমহল", "গুরু", "পাগল মন which are still all big hits in band music industry. "Sweety" became the most popular and one of the biggest hit in Bangladesh that year, and continues to be a Bangladeshi rock staple. It is a signature song of ARK. In late 1996, Bulbul became a full member of the band as the bassist, and Bahlam and Iqbal Asif Jewel(Legend / Miles) joined Ark as guest guitarists.

''"জন্মভূমি (Birthplace)"'' (1997–1998)

In 1997, after the huge success of "তাজমহল (Tajmahal)", Ark signed another record deal with Soundtek for their third studio album. Also in 1997, Ark released their first contributed album, "ধূন", along with

Souls In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, Nagar Baul,

, Feedback and

Warfaze Warfaze (Bengali: ওয়ারফেইজ) is a Bangladeshi heavy metal band formed in 6 June 1984 in Dhaka by Kamal, Meer, Helal, Naimul, and Bappy. They are one of the early heavy metal bands in Bangladesh. The band had numerous line-u ...

, on Soundtek. The album featured two songs from Ark "কত রাত (How Many Nights)" and "দূরে বহু দূরে (Far Far Away)". Ark performed at a blockbuster concert along with

, Nagar Baul and

which was arranged by Ontor Showbiz at 1997. In late 1997, Rezwan left the band and Tonty replaced him as the drummer. In 1998, Ark released their third studio album, "জন্মভূমি (Birthplace)" on Soundtek. It was a huge success and Ark became one of the top bands in the history of Bangladeshi rock music. The album featured the songs "যারে যা (Go Away)", "এই দূর প্রবাসে (In This Far Foreign Land)" and "Bangladesh", which were all smash hits. After the huge success of "জন্মভূমি (Birthplace)" in 1998, Then the line up changed Again. Hassan Towhidur Rahman (Rumi Rahman) is replaced as the drummer. Then Ark got busy with stage shows around the country.

''"স্বাধীনতা (Freedom)"'' (1999–2000)

After the huge success of "জন্মভূমি"(Motherland)", Ark signed another record deal with Soundtek for their fourth studio album. The band performed their hits regularly in concerts. In 1999, Ark released their second contributed album, "6 Band '99" along with

, Prometheus, Feedback and

, on Soundtek. The album featured two songs "আয়না (Mirror)" and "মেতে আজ উঠি' (Arise Today)". In 2000, Ark released their fourth studio album, "স্বাধীনতা (Freedom)" from Soundtek. The featuring songs are "প্রেমা (Love)", "আর কতো মিথ্যে ? (How Many death?)" "বন্ধু (Friend)" songs were very successful. In late 2000, after the major success of "স্বাধীনতা" (Freedom)", Hassan left the band & formed a new band called "স্বাধীনতা"(Freedom)". This was the end of Ark's great journey with its most successful lineup, until their reunion, reformation and relaunch in 2010.

"''হারান মাঝি (Haran Majhi)''" (2002)

Ashiquzzaman Tulu, while living in Canada was heartbroken when he got the news of Ark breaking up from Hasan and Pancham. He decided to continue his dream band. He met

Autumnal Moon ''Autumnal'' is the seventh full-length album by the Spanish power metal band Dark Moor. The recording of this album was announced in early 2008, with constant updates posted on their website since then. The title of the album was revealed on N ...

, an extraordinarily talented musician from Khulna. The two reformed Ark and started to work on a new album, released in 2002. On this album, Tulu played keyboards and bass guitar,

Reformation (2010–present)

In late 2010, Ark announced that they had reformed the band and would return to concerts that year. After 10 years, Syed Hasanur Rahman finally rejoined Ark as the lead vocalist, but Pancham did not return. The band's line-up was:- lead vocalist Hasan, lead guitarist Tito, bassist Sohel, keyboardist Nabil Salahuddin and Hassan Towhidur Rahman(Rumi Rahman) on drums. The band started performing regularly again at various concerts. Ark performed at the "Old is Gold" concert along with Nova,

, Nagar Baul,

, Miles, Feedback and

.ঢাকার মাঠে ওল্ড ইজ গোল্ড

Kaler Kantho ''Kaler Kantho'' ( bn, কালের কণ্ঠ, translit=Daily Voice of Time) is one of the most popular Bengali newspapers in Bangladesh. It is an enterprise of East-West Media Group, a sister concern of Bangladesh's leading business cong ...

. Retrieved 17 November 2012. This concert was arranged by Sufiana at the

Bangladesh Army Stadium The Bangladesh Army Stadium (formerly the Ershad Army Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is currently used mostly for football matches, and hosts the home sport matches of the Bangladesh Army. The stadium has a capacity ...

on 16 November 2012.

Members

Present members *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Tinku Azizur Rahman –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* Sumon –

guitars The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Buno –

bass guitars The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and sc ...

* Jimmy– drums Past members * Ashiquzzaman Tulu (Founder Member)- keys &

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Ridwan Nabi Pancham (Founder Member)–

Guitars The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Raza - Vocals * Shamim – Vocals. * Partha Mazzumder -

Bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

* *

& Vocals. * * Shishir –

Bass Guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

* Habib Anwar Joy – Drums * Rezwan Sheikh– Drums * Iqbal Asif Jewel –

* Balam Jahangir –

*Tonty- Drums * – b *Hassan Towhidur Rahman (Rumi Rahman) -Drums (1997 - 2000), (2009-2011), (2012-2014). Touring members * Schumann Zaman – Bass Guitar (1999- 2002) * Bulbul –

Habib Wahid Habib Wahid (born 15 October 1979) is a Bangladeshi composer and singer. He works on modern pop music, EDM and a fusion of traditional Bengali folk music with contemporary techno and urban beats. His music is mainly influenced by British Ba ...

– key Boards. * Mehedi Hasan Rubel – Drums

Discography

Studio albums * ''"মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (Liberation War)"'' (1991) * ''"তাজমহল (Tajmahal)"'' (1996) * ''"জন্মভূমি (Birthplace)"'' (1998) * ''"স্বাধীনতা (Freedom)"'' (2000) * ''"হারান মাঝি (Haran Majhi)"'' (2002) Mixed albums * ''ধুন'' (1997) * ''Stars 2'' (1998) * ''Hit Run Out'' (1998) * ''একটি গোলাপ'' (1998) * ''6 Bands '99'' (1999) * ''T & T'' (1999) * ''নেই তুমি'' (2000) * ''দু্খিনী আমি'' (2000) * ''বৃহস্পতি'' (2001)

References

External links

*
ARK Bangla Band
o
Bangla Band Music Digital Archive
{{Authority control

Ark Ark or ARK may refer to: Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva'' * Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood * Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses Hebrew ''aron'' * ...

Musical groups established in 1991 1991 establishments in Bangladesh Bangladeshi hard rock musical groups Bangladeshi heavy metal musical groups