Back in 1994, Sushmita Sen became the first Indian to win the Miss Universe title. She was just 18 years old. Lara Dutta’s victory in 2000 marked India's second triumph at the global beauty pageant, while Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu brought the crown home again in 2021, nearly two decades later. Now, all eyes are on the newly crowned Miss Universe India 2026, Kaziah Liz Mejo. She will represent India at the 75th Miss Universe pageant, scheduled to be held in Puerto Rico in November.
"Irrespective of our age, we are all just little girls at heart," Kaziah shares in an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal. The 19-year-old law student is the first contestant from Kerala to win the Miss Universe India title. She opens up about starting at such a young age, being inspired by her mother’s beauty pageant journey, and why she turns to God when things around her begin to fall apart.
You are the first beauty queen from Kerala to win the Miss Universe India title. It must be an incredibly proud moment for you.
I am on top of the world. I feel elated. It has been something that I have worked so immensely hard towards. I have always wanted to be the representative of Kerala and, of course, India. As for bringing the crown home, it is a huge responsibility, but I am glad to be the one to carry it.
Were there any major challenges or fears that you had to overcome while participating in the beauty pageant?
My biggest fear, even before I stepped into the pageant was, am I doing this too early? Am I not waiting for the right time? That question lingered around for a really long time, and I kept thinking if I was hurrying this through and whether I needed to slow down. But my answer to that was also very simple: why hurry something down when you know your heart is calling you for it?
I am a firm believer in God, and I believe that when He puts you to a purpose and gives you an assigned destiny, it does not matter how old you are. What matters is whether or not you are ready to answer the calling that you have been given.
Kaziah Liz Mejo with Nikhil Anand, National Director of Glamanand Supermodel India | Photograph: Kind courtesy Glamanand Supermodel India
Winning the crown at 19 is a huge achievement, but do you also feel the expectations and pressure that come with it?
Diamonds are created best under pressure, and I believe I am the same way. I think pressure, to me, is very momentary, and what keeps me going is the pressure I put on myself.
I have high expectations of myself, and that is the only pressure that I want to fulfil. I can go to sleep every day knowing that I did my best.
Also, I work great under pressure. In this case, I see it more as a responsibility than pressure.
Are you the first one in your family to become a beauty queen?
My mother really loved pageantry and had participated in district-level pageants back home in Kerala. She won those. However, she came from a family that did not support her having a career in this industry, so she had to let go of that dream.
She would talk to me about it, and I would see photographs of her wearing the crown. I am really glad to be able to live out my mom’s dream.
What’s your take on spirituality and religion?
For me, religion and spirituality fall under the same umbrella of hope. As humans, the very thing that brings so much light into our eyes is hope. The hope of a better tomorrow, the hope that you are meant for more than you think, and the hope that things will work out.
That’s what religion and spirituality provide us, something to hold on to. To have that belief and faith in a superior power. At the end of the day, we are ruled by something greater than us, and a lot of it is destiny that we are supposed to fulfil.
The stage is where you feel at home. How did you develop that comfort?
I have been on stage from a pretty young age. I started classical dance around the age of four. That was a stepping stone. I absolutely loved performing, and I think my parents also saw that. I smile a little wider and brighter when I am on stage.
My parents also put me into baby shows where I would wear pretty clothes, wave at the audience and talk about my favourite cartoons. Even with the smallest events like that, I would feel so much like myself on stage, like I belonged, and my parents understood that.
Kaziah had the honour of meeting the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Kerala V. D. Satheesan | Photograph: Kind courtesy Archenaa Ravi
How do you manage to stay so positive in a world that often focuses on perfection and criticism?
When life gives you a thousand reasons to be pushed down, find one reason to keep going. Because when you are at your lowest, there is only one place you can go, and that is forward. In life, there is never really a rock bottom if you decide there is not one.
You have a type of beauty that is very versatile. Did you inherit it from your mother?
Yes! I get this all the time. Every time my mom meets anyone from my team, they say my beauty comes from her. I am a blend of my mom and my dad. My mom has a very calm and welcoming beauty. My dad is strong in his values and faith. I have inherited the best parts of both of them.
Your name is quite unusual. What does your name mean?
It is from the Bible and means ‘Gift of God’.
What’s the secret to your flawless complexion?
Just being happy with who I am as a person gives me a different kind of glow. I remember being much younger and much more insecure about how I looked, my colour and how I was perceived. But I think the glow comes from within when you realise that you are perfect just the way you are.
The one thing that you won’t go to bed without doing
I really love recollecting my day. I love to capture the entire thing like it was a movie and replay it in my head. When you lead a life with so much light and glamour, it is very easy to get taken away by it, but being able to recollect that is important.
The qualities you look for in the ideal man
One who supports me as a person. One who looks for the same amount of passion and ambition in life. But that is the last thing on my radar now.
What are your preparations for the Miss Universe pageant?
I am grateful to have a wonderful team alongside me. I will be working day in and day out to make sure I represent exactly what it is that India stands for, not just in my walk or everything that is pageant-like, but also in the way I carry myself. I am sure you will see the best wardrobe, the best walk, the best talk, and the most beautiful representation of India.
Any advice for upcoming beauty aspirants?
I think you should not be selling yourself short. We all have this tendency to try to figure out what is practical, easy and possible. That is completely okay. But when you stop putting that limitation on yourself, you will flourish and do something you are meant to be in.
For me as well, it was just a dream to be Miss Universe India at such a young age, especially from Kerala, a place that had no winners so far. It all seemed like a long dream. When I realised that my time was now, was when my world changed.
