Miss Universe India 2026 came down to more than gowns, glamour and stage presence for Kaziah Liz Mejo. The 19-year-old from Mavelikkara, Alappuzha, Kerala, stood out during the finale in Jaipur with an answer that turned a seemingly abstract question into a deeply personal reflection on finding comfort in the spotlight.
Mejo was crowned the new Miss Universe India on Sunday, August 23, after competing against 52 contestants. She also emerged as the youngest contestant in this year’s edition. With the national crown now hers, she will represent India at the 75th Miss Universe competition in Puerto Rico in November.
Kaziah Liz Mejo's Miss Universe India 2026 winning question and answer
During the final round, Mejo faced the question: "Can you describe the sound of silence in your life?"
The question was asked by Rajiv K Shrivastava, founder of Act Now and director of Social Projects at the Glamanand Group.
Rather than treating silence simply as the absence of sound, Mejo connected it to a moment she knew intimately, the quiet just before stepping onto a stage.
"To me, silence, I believe, is what I experienced just a few minutes ago. The calm before I enter a stage. I was born and brought up on stage as a classical dancer, as an actor, and, of course, as a pageant lover," she said.
The Miss Universe India 2026 winner went on to explain how her love for performing had shaped her understanding of that quiet moment.
“I fell in love with the world of pageants, with the stage, with the spotlight, having a microphone in my hand. But it seems difficult to believe, but I feel silence, and I feel calm, and I feel at my most peaceful self right before I enter a stage because I feel at home,” Mejo added.
She then brought her answer back to the moment unfolding before her, saying: “To me, that is silence when you feel at home, when your heart lets you take a deeper breath, when your pulse comes down, and you know that you belong. And that's exactly where I'm standing today, India.”
Now, with the Miss Universe India 2026 crown secured, Mejo's next chapter will take her from Jaipur to the international Miss Universe stage in Puerto Rico this November.
