Shakti is an international musical ensemble founded by guitarist John McLaughlin, tabla master Zakir Hussain, violinist L. Shankar, and percussionists Ramnad Raghavan and T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram. Their Hindi name translates as "creative intelligence, beauty, and power." They play an intense acoustic fusion combining Carnatic and Southern Indian music, structured improvisation, and modern jazz. Their live debut Shakti with John McLaughlin appeared in 1976. 1977's A Handful of Beauty and Natural Elements were studio efforts. In 1978 Shakti splintered to pursue individual projects. During the late '90s, the band re-formed with new members Hariprasad Chaurasia, a bansuri flute master. They released Remember Shakti in 1997. Mandolinist U. Srinivas joined for 1999's The Believer and 2001's Saturday Night in Bombay on Verve. The group toured intermittently when schedules allowed. Following the death of Srinivas in 2014, they split again. They reunited for 2023's Grammy-winning This Moment, with Ganesh Rajagopalan replacing Shankar.