Miss India Adline Castelino, 22, finished fourth at the 69th Miss Universe on Sunday in Florida. The 22-year-old from Udupi had won a chance to represent India at the global beauty pageant after being crowned Miss Diva in 2020.
India made it to the Top 5 of the prestigious international pageant after nearly 20 years, last being Celina Jaitly's win in 2001. This year's pageant was won by Miss Mexico Andrea Meza. The other two winners are runner-up Miss Brazil Julia Gama and second runner-up, Miss Peru Janick Maceta Del Castillo.
Castelino uses the platform to voice the stories of marginalised women and the LGBTQ+ community in India to advocate their rights and inclusion in society. She has since last year initiated various mission activities and fundraisers for the same, NDTV reported.
Miss India Adline Castelino has also been involved in creating awareness about polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as well as worked to end the stigma around COVID-19.
Congratulating her on her successful endeavour, the official Twitter account of Miss Diva tweeted, "Your resilience, determination and grace shined throughout the competition and the hard work you've put in your journey reflected in you this night! We are proud of you."
Calling her "a woman of substance", the official Miss Diva handle on Instagram attached a video writing, "We couldn’t have asked for a better representative than you Adline."
During the pageant's important question and answer part, Castelino 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 that coming from India and witnessing what India is experiencing right now, she has realised one valuable lesson in life and that would be "nothing is more important than the health of your loved ones".
She went on to add that India as a nation should draw "a balance between economy and health" further explaining that the way to achieve that goal is only when the government works with the people hand in hand and produces something that will work with the economy. Her well-rounded answer received praise from everyone and the judges. Read about a contestant from Myanmar's plea for her country.
Watch here:
In her final statement, Castelino was asked to talk about 'free speech and the right to protest.' She said, "We've seen many protests in recent days." She especially pointed out the campaigns that women have been spearheading to fight for equal rights over many years. Because she believes protest helps women raise their voices against what's happening against inequality and it also helps minorities in any democracy to raise their voice. "So the protest is very important. But what's not important is when you use it, because with every right comes responsibility for the use of it with power," she hailed. Read who is Andrea Meza, the winner of Miss Universe.
Check out the video here:
Feature Image Credit: Adline Quadros Castelino/Instagram
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