Stepping FORWARD

Liva Miss Diva Universe 2020, ADLINE CASTELINO, who emerged as the third runner-up at Miss Universe 2020, talks to Aishwarya Acharya about what makes her a modern beauty queen

- Aishwarya Acharya

All of 22, Liva Miss Diva Universe 2020 winner Adline Castelino is soft spoken, articulate, thoughtful, and mindful. Determination, however, stands out as a dominant personality trait—determination made her emerge as the third runner-up at the Miss Universe 2020 pageant on May 16, in Florida, USA. Born and raised in Kuwait, Castelino moved to Mumbai all by herself at a young age of 15. The journey wasn’t always smooth. “When I came to Mumbai, I didn’t know anyone. I was a complete stranger to the city. Gradually, I made some good friends and developed contacts who helped me overcome many obstacles, especially my speech defect. Staying alone in Mumbai helped me find my confidence,” she says.

“WHEN I CAME TO MUMBAI, I DIDN’T KNOW ANYONE. GRADUALLY, I MADE GOOD FRIENDS WHO HELPED ME OVERCOME OBSTACLES, ESPECIALLY MY SPEECH DEFECT”

The last year has been difficult. With everything coming to a standstill, things had to be approached differently. Preparing for the pageant wasn’t easy at such a time, but, she managed. “I’m technologically challenged,” Castelino laughs. “It’s funny, since I belong to this generation that is supposed to be inherently tech savvy. So, for me, when all the panellists moved to the online space, it was tough trying to figure out and set everything up. Eventually, I got used to it.” She continued online training with for ramp walk with Alesia Raut Suryavanshi, with personality skills mentor Sanjeev Datta, communications training with Supreet Bedi and with Sabira Merchant, one of the oldest trainers at Miss India for etiquette and diction.