While Mexico’s Andrea
Maze was crowned Miss Universe 2020, India’s Adline Castelino, became the third
runner-up at the 69th edition Miss Universe held on 16th May 2021.
Castelino, who won the
Miss Diva Universe title, was spotted at the airport waving the Indian national
flag when she returned home.
The 22-year-old was born
to Catholic parents Alphonse and Meera Castelino in Kuwait City in 1998,
Castelino was 15 when she moved to Mumbai where she studied at St Xavier’s High
School. She used her entrepreneurial spirit to obtain her business
administration degree from Wilson College and enjoyed the creative
opportunities her career path provides.
But things took a different
turn for her when she participated in the LIVA Miss Diva Universe pageant, held
in February 2020, and eventually emerged victorious.
Among her many standout
moments, Adline won hearts in a saree that she wore for the National Costume
round. Inspired by the national flower, lotus, the ensemble was designed by
Hyderabad-based designer, Shravan Kumar. Adline’s final gown curated by Falguni
and Shane Peacock was designed to be an exquisite, one-of-a-kind ensemble
created exclusively for her. The dual-toned, metallic gown is a gorgeous fusion
of urbane architectural elements such as the neat lines, amalgamated with
traditional motifs such as petite florals. The gown represents the best of both
worlds; an extension of Adline’s persona who is a woman with modern beliefs,
outlook, and traditional values.
During the pageant,
Adline received praise for her well-rounded response in the question-answer
round. She was asked: "Should countries lockdown due to COVID-19 despite
the strain on their economies, or should they open their borders and risk a
potential increase in infection rates?"
To this, the model
responded, "Good evening universe. Well, coming from India and witnessing
what India is experiencing right now, I have realized something very important
that nothing is more important than the health of your loved ones. And you have
to draw a balance between economy and health. And that can only be done when
the government works with the people hand in hand and produces something that
will work with the economy. Thank you."
She works as a Goodwill
Ambassador for Smile Train, is the face for the PCOS Free India Campaign, and
collaborates with SNEHA, an organization that provides affordable healthcare to
women.
Her grandmother died
giving birth to her mother at the young age of 22 because she could not afford
healthcare. This drove Adline to advocate for the rights of farmers in her
community to have sustainable livelihoods and work closely with Vikas Sahyog
Pratishthan to give back to deprived rural communities.
India last won the Miss
Universe event in 2000 when model-actor Lara Dutta was crowned at the pageant.
Before her, Sushmita Sen had won the competition back in 1994.