Michael Griska, 30, is actually playing a sitar, an instrument of India that usually has about 20 strings. Made from a gourd (like a pumpkin), the sitar is durable yet fragile. Its sound is familiar from popular songs such as the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" and Beck's "Loser."

However, you likely won't hear Griska playing pop songs; the sitar is a classical instrument, and he plays it that way. And sitar pieces, unlike three- or four-minute pop songs, often last an hour or more. At the restaurant, he usually does "short" songs of around 20 minutes.

With a sitar, there is no sheet music per se.

"It is very improvised but, with strict 'grammar,'" he said. "You learn to speak the language."

Trip to India

Griska grew up in Pittsburgh in a working-class family. He does not think he ever met an Indian until he started learning how to play the instrument. Around five years ago, his then-girlfriend was on a trip in India, saw a sitar and thought Griska might like it. He asked her to buy it even though he knew little about the instrument.

"I had no clue what I was getting myself into," he said.

At the time he was working in a print shop and playing bass in local bands. Even then he liked long songs, writing some that were 15 minutes long.

Griska started learning as much as he could about his new instrument. But there was only so much he could learn by reading and listening. He had to find a teacher.

Griska found what he thinks was the only sitar teacher in Pittsburgh; while there are some sitar players in the Triangle, there were hardly any in Pittsburgh. His teacher there was also a biology professor and could only show him so much. He needed to find a "guru" to take him to the next level.

Trip to Carrboro

A fellow sitar player and friend of Griska's in Pittsburgh, Jonathan Kubacka, had heard of a sitar player named K. Sridhar who lived in the Chapel Hill. In 2007 Kubacka decided to take a trip to Carrboro to see Sridhar perform at the ArtsCenter. He invited Griska to come.

"We were both extremely impressed with Sridhar's playing, and the following day Michael and I went to Sridhar's home to visit with him and pay our respects," said Kubacka. "We stayed for a few hours and left knowing that we both met someone special."

Shortly after the trip, Kubacka decided to move to Chapel Hill and study with Sridhar. Griska remained in Pittsburgh but stayed in touch.

"Michael was always hearing positive feedback from me about being with Sridhar," said Kubacka. "At some point last year, he made the resolve to come and learn seriously."

In September 2009, Griska moved to Chapel Hill and became roommates with Kubacka and started working with Sridhar.

Most of Griska's time is spent at the guru's house in Chapel Hill improving his playing, often between eight and 12 hours a day. It is physically demanding and can hurt his hands and muscles.

"Michael has a truly admirable sense of determination and energy to do hours and hours of practice," said Kubacka. "In the time he has been in Chapel Hill with Sridhar, he has now begun to develop a sense of guru-bhakti, meaning a loving sense of devotion to a true teacher and the teachings being passed on. With this comes virtues such as humility, discipline, and devotion, without which one can never truly absorb the essence of India's classical music."

Sridhar knows how to play both northern and southern Indian styles of sitar, which is rare. He was the one who set Griska up at the restaurant, where he has been since since December.

In addition to the restaurant, Griska has played at weddings and yoga studios.

For someone who has basically devoted the last five years of his life (and at least the immediate future) to the instrument, Griska has an unusual answer when asked why.

"I really don't know why I do it," he said. "Intuition says to do it."