Since discovering a Hawaiian lap steel guitar at the age of 3, Debashish has developed into one of the world’s greatest slide guitarists. Born in Kolkata in 1963, awarded the President of India Award at the age of 21, and, made a Pandit (master) at the age of 40, he is a fearless innovator developing new slide guitar designs and techniques. Performing alongside him are his brother Subhasis – a prominent name on the Indian music scene – on the tabla, and India’s only female pakhawaj (wooden barrel drum) and mridangam (drum) artists, Chitrangana Agle Reshwal and Charu Hariharan. Together, they weave a musical journey reflecting an epic tale of immortal love.

Based on Abhigyana Shakuntalam (The Recognition of Shakuntala), an epic love story written by the great Sanskrit poet Kalidasa, the music traces the legend of King Dushyanta and the beautiful Shakuntala. In the tale, they fall in love and marry but an evil sage curses Shakuntala, keeping them apart. Fortunately, the spell is finally broken and they are happily reunited for all eternity.

This album traces the story of the two lovers from the opening track ‘Megha Re’, meaning ‘Clouds’. A traditional classical rendition of the raag megh, full of deep slides and melodic phrases, the track symbolises when King Dushyanta first meets Shakuntala when out hunting. The music moves through ‘Shringar’ (‘Courtship’) to their marriage on ‘Samarpan’ (‘Surrender’). A raag megh with the pakhawaj accompanying with a saath sangaat, Debashish explores what happens when you surrender to love as Shakuntala does when she marries Dushyanta in the absence of her father.

Debashish’s melody is the central theme in ‘Milaap’ (‘Let’s Meet’), where rhythms from pakhawaj, tabla and mridangam converge, representing Dushyanta and Shakuntala’s meeting. ‘Chahat’ (‘Longing’) reflects Shakuntala’s feelings after she is cursed and separated from the King, and, ‘Sparsh’ (‘The Touch’) features Debashish playing a morning pentatonic raag gunkeli, to symbolize a new passage of hope. On ‘Amantran’ (‘Invitation’), Debashish blends a north Indian raag with a south Indian rhythm in lilting passages as Shakuntala joyfully goes to be reunited with Dushyanta.

A beautiful album and musical journey through an epic Indian love story, O Shakuntala! is Debashish’s third album on Riverboat Records. His first, 3: Calcutta Slide-Guitar, won the BBC World Music Award in 2007, and his second, Calcutta Chronicles, was nominated for a Grammy in 2008.