Miss Diva Universe 2020 Adline Castelino, 22, is not the only Indian woman competing in Miss Universe 2020. Newly crowned Miss Universe Australia 2020 Maria Thattil, 27, and Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo, 23, are both of Indian descent, as well.
Castelino was born in Kuwait City, Kuwait on July 24, 1998 to Indian parents Alphonsus Castelino and Meera Castelino. Hailing from Udyavar, Udupi, Karnataka, India, the parents are both Mangalorean Catholic.
From Kuwait, Adline moved to Mumbai, Maharashtra, India and attended St. Xavier’s High School in Mumbai. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wilson College in Mumbai.
Adline became India’s official representative to Miss Universe 2020 when she was crowned Miss Diva Universe 2020 at Yash Raj Studio in Andheri, Mumbai on February 22, 2020. It was exactly one month before the country observed a 14-hour voluntary public curfew at the insistence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi due to the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Unlike Adline, Thattil and Mateo were both crowned amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The latter was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2020 at the Cordillera Convention Center of Baguio Country Club in Baguio City, Philippines on October 23, 2020.
However, the news about Mateo’s title became publicly known only when the coronation ceremony was broadcast on October 25, 2020. She is the Philippines’ first Miss Universe representative who was crowned through a standalone beauty pageant.
Mateo was born in the Philippines to a Muslim Indian-American father and a Filipino mother and she has a younger brother. In 2001, their father, who is a doctor, left the family and has not communicated with them since then.
Thattil was born to Indian parents in Melbourne, Australia. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2013 from RMIT University in Melbourne and her master’s degree in management from the University of Melbourne.
On October 28, 2020, Thattil was crowned Miss Universe Australia 2020 through a virtual coronation ceremony, besting 25 other candidates. She was also named Miss Congeniality.
Both Castelino and Thattil are professional models. Mateo is a licensed physical therapist working as a physical therapy lecturer at review centers in different provinces in the Philippines.
The date and venue of Miss Universe 2020 have yet to be announced. The reigning queen is Zozibini Tunzi, 27, of South Africa.
CONAN Daily 