For Mejo, the UAE gave her two identities that never had to compete. She could remain deeply Indian while learning to feel at home among people from around the world.
Abu Dhabi’s ‘endless possibilities’ power India’s bid for the Miss Universe crown
Mumbai: When Gulf News tracked down Miss Universe India 2026 Kaziah Liz Mejo, the Abu Dhabi-bred law student was in Jaipur, caught in a whirlwind of pageant rehearsals, photo shoots and media requests.
The 19-year-old's life had changed almost overnight and, by her own admission, it was yet to fully sink in.
“Even now I’m having a little bit of difficulty digesting the fact that I’m now the representative of India at the world’s biggest pageant,” Mejo told Gulf News in an exclusive interview.
But behind the glittering diamond-encrusted crown and satin sash is a young woman who believes Abu Dhabi prepared her for this moment long before she knew she would represent India on a global stage.
Growing up in the UAE capital, surrounded by different nationalities, cultures and languages, taught Mejo how to be a global citizen.
“One of my strong suits at the moment is the fact that I have lived in a country which is so welcoming of every single ethnicity, of every single person, irrespective of your background, irrespective of what your journey was,” she said.
“You feel so welcome in the UAE, and that’s exactly what I felt as well.”
For Mejo, the UAE gave her two identities that never had to compete.
“The UAE made sure that I was connected with my roots in India,while also being connected with the rest of the world.”
That multicultural upbringing, she believes, will be one of her biggest assets when she steps onto the Miss Universe stage in Peurto Rico.
“While growing up in Abu Dhabi I was able to interact with diverse communities. I was able to understand the culture of every single ethnicity because it’s widely known that UAE is a mixture of the entire world,” she said.
“We have people from all over the world thriving in the UAE.”
It was an education that didn’t come from textbooks alone.
“I was able to witness that in real life and in person, and that really helped me shape my mindset of how I see the world.”
For Mejo, the UAE also gave her a fascinating perspective on India from the outside.
Living among people from across the globe allowed her to see how her country was perceived internationally.
“The entire world sees India as a powerhouse, as an epitome of strength, of greatness, and that really gave me the courage to be that one representative of India internationally as well.”
Her assessment of the country where she grew up is simple.
“I think UAE is just a country of endless possibilities.”
Her connection with Abu Dhabi is also deeply personal.
Mejo left the UAE to chase her pageant dream.
“I left home and I left Abu Dhabi so, so long ago in pursuit of this dream, and I promised Abu Dhabi and I promised all my friends there, my school, my teachers that I will come back with the crown and I promise I will make you proud.”
Now those teachers are getting back in touch.
Some remember her from Grades 7 and 8, when she was simply a young girl who loved performing and had enormous ambitions.
“I’m just getting so much love from teachers, all the way from my seventh grade and eighth grade, who still remember that that little girl had this dream,” she said.
What means most to Mejo is that they never laughed those dreams away.
“The best part is they never dismissed it. They never thought it was just a little girl with wild dreams. They saw it as a girl with a vision.”
Now she wants to return to the city with the crown she promised them.
“I can’t wait to go back to Abu Dhabi.”
Long before pageantry, Mejo was an Indian classical dancer. She began performing when she was around four or five.
Her parents noticed early that the stage brought out something different in their daughter.
“They realised that I smile differently when I’m on stage. My eyes glow differently when I’m on stage. I was born for the stage!”
Her mother had also participated in small pageants while growing up in Kerala, but Mejo says her own entry into pageantry happened without pressure from her.
When she told her parents she wanted to try, there was no discussion about choosing a more conventional career.
“No questions asked. They asked me, ‘How do you register?’”
She credits that support with giving her the confidence to dream without limits.
“I truly pray to God that every girl out there gets a family like this, because when you have that support, when you have that wind behind your wings, I promise you can soar so high.”
The first Miss Universe contest Mejo remembers watching was the 2021 edition when India’s Harnaaz Sandhu won.
“The first ever show that I ended up watching was the year that India's Harnaaz won, and I think that moment really changed my life,” she said.
“It changed how I saw the world, and it changed what I wanted to be as well.”
Even then, she knew she wanted to do something beyond the conventional.
“I always knew that I wanted to do something different in life. That I wanted to be the best at what I do, and I want to be able to take India internationally in whatever it is that I do.”
Mejo competed against 51 women for the Miss Universe India crown.
Her final question was: What is the sound of silence to you personally?
It couldn’t have suited her better.
“When you say that the stars align for you, that I think was my night, 23rd August, 2026. The stars really did align in my favour.”
She spoke about the strange calm she experiences just before stepping onto a stage.
“My entire world goes blank, and I’m just there to enjoy the moment.”
There was considerably less calm when she stood among the final two waiting for the result.
“My heart was beating out of my chest and the second that they called my name, I actually screamed on stage, like out loud. I screamed because I couldn’t digest it.”
She is still watching the video/viral reel and agrees when I call her 'her own biggest cheerleader'.
“I think majority of the views that’s coming in would probably be mine itself.”
If anyone imagines beauty queens surviving on lettuce leaves before a pageant, Mejo would like a word.
The first thing she ate after winning was pizza.
It was around 5am and she wanted burgers, pizza and fries.
But she hadn’t exactly deprived herself before winning either.
“I had pizzas and burgers throughout the pageant,” she said.
Her specifications weren’t particularly pageant-like either.
“Extra cheese, extra patties.”
Mejo believes women shouldn’t have to starve themselves into a particular shape.
“If you have to starve yourself for a body, then that body is really not yours, right?”
She works out and stays active, but believes food and fitness should come with kindness.
“Your body is your temple. You need to treat it with kindness, treat it with love. A burger once in a while is not going to do anything.”
And she makes one confession without hesitation.
“Carbs, I love. I love my junk food.”
She slept with her crown
Her first night with the crown was equally memorable.
“The first day I won, I slept with the crown.”
More precisely, she hugged the crown box while sleeping and woke up with bruises from its pointed edges.
“I’ve worked so hard for it,” she said.
Clearly, she’s not ready to let it out of her sight just yet.
Kerala remains close
Gulf News spoke to Mejo on Onam, and she appeared for the interview in a sari despite being away from Kerala.
“I miss my sadya, I miss my Onam sari, but this is the make-do that I could do with what I have.”
She plans to wear her Indian identity proudly when she travels for Miss Universe.
“Irrespective of where I am, I will always celebrate India. I will always celebrate Kerala.”
“Even if I go to Puerto Rico, you will see me in sarees. You will see me in traditional wear because this is the small ways in which you can carry India with you and showcase that to the world.”
Mejo is already being approached with offers beyond pageantry.
“I’ve been getting a lot of requests to be brand ambassadors, to have my debut in movies, and everything is just happening all at once.”
Acting, she admits, has always appealed to her.
“I absolutely love the industry of acting as well. It’s been one of my biggest dreams to join that as well.”
But movies can wait.
“Miss Universe is an opportunity that opens a lot of doors for me, but my first and foremost vision is to bring the crown of Miss Universe back to India.”
For now, the young woman raised in Abu Dhabi is preparing to walk into a room filled with contestants from across the world.
In many ways, she has been preparing for that room all her life.
“I’m so overwhelmed, but I’m so ready for it,” Mejo said.
“I’ve prepared myself for this, and I know that we’re gonna make history.”
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