The band formed in the San Francisco area in about 1970, as a collaboration between classical Indian musicians Zakir Hussain (tabla, dholak, naal), Aashish Khan (sarod), and Pranesh Khan (tabla, naal); and American rock and jazz musicians Neil Seidel (lead guitar), Steve Haehl (lead vocals, guitar), Steve Leach (bass), and Frank Lupica (drums).
The stated intention at the time, according to Seidel, was to highlight the beauty of Indian music by showing it in a rock context.
[1] The word "Shanti" is a Sanskrit term meaning "inner peace", and, again according to Seidel, all the band members were adherents of Transcendental Meditation.
[3] The album includes both psychedelic rock songs on which "the Indian instrumentation is minimized and largely reduced to decoration", and mostly longer tracks "that integrate Western and Eastern sounds in a more cohesive manner".
They auditioned for Apple Records, but Ravi Shankar reportedly persuaded George Harrison not to sign them, and the band then split up.