Dover Terrace: A jhola bought on a holiday to Varanasi in 1993 changed the life of New York-based artist Aaron Sinift, who had little idea about khadi and Gandhian principles before that.

Sinift's first brush with the fabric made him want to learn Hindi, travel to various Gandhi ashrams, read about the man behind the movement and save jhola artwork.

The journey spanned over a decade with Sinift curating two books, each made from 1,400 metres of homespun khadi, on jhola art.

On his ninth visit to India, Sinift unveiled the second book of the project, Other Imaginings, at the inauguration of an exhibition at Studio21 earlier this month. Guests can browse through the unique book and enjoy samples of jhola art at an exhibition at the Dover Terrace gallery from October 20 to November 18.

The inauguration began with Sinift, clad in a khadi kurta with a gamchha around his neck, sharing with the audience his book made with 1,400m of khadi and the tales behind its making.

"I would marvel at the artwork on jholas. Most of the artists are anonymous. I found no effort being taken to preserve and document the artwork that Gandhi ashrams were involved in," Sinift said.

He got together 16 artists, including Calcutta-based artist Sumitro Basak as well as ones from Mexico, Germany and America, to collaborate on the book. Sinift also invited Yoko Ono, multimedia artist and wife of John Lennon, to endorse his project.

"Some of the artwork in the book highlights social issues. But many are woodblock and screen prints of illustrations found on original jholas, collected over the years or rescued from discarded lots at the Gandhi Ashram in Akbarpur," Sinift said.

Also with Sinift on the project, which took four years to take shape, were a couple from Varanasi and senior artist J.P. Jaisawal. "It was a wonderful journey of rediscovery. The artists at Gandhi ashram were motivated to do something different. I also got a taste of life in India, especially that of ashram workers and their art," Sinift said.