In 1968, Mickey Hart was studying at the Ali Akbar College of Music with tabla master Shankar Gosh. Mickey would work on compositions with Shankar and take these teachings to Bill Kreutzmann. Hart and Kreutzmann were instructing Gosh on traps in exchange for tabla lessons and combining their knowledge in compositions of East and West.

In September 1968, the Grateful Dead played a concert at Berkeley Community Theater. Before the concert the drummers had planned a surprise for the audience. During part of Alligator, the amps rolled apart and two risers rolled on stage between Hart and Kreutzmann. On them were Shankar Gosh and Vince Delgado, a fine dumbec player and a student of Gosh. The four men sat and fixed compositions together, taking a rhythmic journey through many cycles. Ali Akbar Khan composed the closing composition for them and when they were finished, the applause was deafening.

Gosh left Ali Akbar College in 1969 and returned to India, and at this time Hart also left to pursue electronic music.

In 1970, Hart was introduced to Zakir Hussain, son of Hart's mentor, Alla Rakha, whom he had met in 1967. Hussain had come from India to replace Gosh as Ali Akbar Khan's personal drummer and tabla instructor for the school.

In 1971, Hussain began to select some of his advanced students for a school orchestra of only rhythm instruments. This was called Tal Vadyum Rhythm Band and they performed once a quarter at the Ali Akbar Khan College of Music. This was the beginning of the Diga Band.

In April 1975, the Jefferson Starship asked them to play a concert with them and the Sons of Champlin. The band decided to play and also to change their name for public performance to the Diga Rhythm Band. The concerts at Winterland in San Francisco in May 1975 were very successful.