In a first, Kashmiri researcher’s Neuro artwork selected for International exhibition

Safiya Mehraj a Kashmiri female researcher has created a NeuroArt which has been selected for International NeuroArt exhibition.

27-year-old Mehraj from Zainakot Srinagar has become the first researcher from Kashmir who has created a NeuroArt and due to which she made it to the international exhibition.

Mehraj who is currently doing research at CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Srinagar represented her artworks themed as : ‘Let the butterfly of ending war bring people together under one shield’, ‘Brainstorm to see the sufferings of my world’, ‘Right thinking can bring peace into the world’.

“My artworks will be displayed in the international symposium Joint ICGEB – ALS Society of Canada Symposium on Inflammation and Proteinopathy in ALS/FTD Spectrum Disorder which will be held from June 30 to July 12, 2022 in Rijeka,” she claims.

As per Mehraj the winning works of the NeuroArt competition are being exhibited on the UNIRI panels and a total of 15 works by authors from Croatia, India, Canada, Hungary, Great Britain, Slovenia and the Czech Republic were selected.

“Since the organisers decided to combine science and art with the aim of popularising neuroscience my artwork was accordingly liked,” says Mehraj with a smile.

With a public invitation to this interesting scientific and artistic competition, an effort was made to creatively and artistically clarify new discoveries about the workings of the brain to the wider community and to spread awareness of the importance of preserving brain health, she adds.

According to Mehraj the brain is the most complex and mysterious organ in the body. “Remember the name of your favourite book? Blink without even thinking about it? Reaching for a glass of water? Your brain is in charge of these and many other actions. It makes us what we are: it defines our personality, gives us the power to think, solve problems and feel. The brain controls our body through almost 100 billion nerve cells (neurons) which interconnected to form a complex network, it is important to be researchers, scientists in the skin of artists, artists in the skin of researchers, scientists.”

Before making it to international exhibition Mehraj has bagged first prize in poster presentation in 2nd Annual Primeasia University International E-conference which was held on January 30, 2022 virtually.

The theme of the conference for year-2022 was “Aspects of Microbiology in Healthcare Sectors”. After selection in preliminary rounds 150 researchers and prominent scientists from 25 countries participated in 7 different fields of Microbiology viz. Immunology, Virology & Infectious Disease, Genetics & Bioinformatics, Clinical Microbiology & Antimicrobial Resistance, Microbial Biotechnology & Vaccine Development, Food & Industrial Microbiology, Agricultural & Veterinary, and Environmental Microbiology & Microbial Ecology.

She has dedicated her achievement to her supervisor Dr. Zahoor Ahmad Parry, her parents and lab mates.