Abu Dhabi: Kaziah Liz Mejo has returned to the city where she grew up — this time wearing the Miss Universe India 2026 crown.
The 19-year-old law student, who was raised in Abu Dhabi, recently met UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan during her homecoming.
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A video from the meeting shows Mejo wearing her crown and sash as she meets Sheikh Nahyan, accompanied by her parents. The visit marked a significant moment in her journey from an Abu Dhabi schoolgirl to India’s national beauty pageant winner.
Mejo had promised that she would return to Abu Dhabi with the crown after winning the Miss Universe India 2026 title in Jaipur on August 23.
Speaking exclusively to Gulf News from Jaipur after her victory, Mejo said she had made the promise to her friends, school and teachers in Abu Dhabi.
“I promised Abu Dhabi and I promised all my friends there, my school, my teachers that I will come back with the crown and I promise I will make you proud,” she said.
“I can’t wait to go back to Abu Dhabi.”
Her return fulfils that promise and brings her pageant journey back to the UAE capital, where she spent much of her childhood.
Mejo, whose family roots are in Kerala, has often spoken about the influence of her UAE upbringing. Growing up in a multicultural city, she said, helped her develop an appreciation for different communities and prepared her for an international competition.
“One of my strong suits at the moment is the fact that I have lived in a country which is so welcoming of every single ethnicity, of every single person, irrespective of your background, irrespective of what your journey was,” she told Gulf News.
“The UAE made sure that I was connected with my roots in India, while also being connected with the rest of the world.”
Her meeting with Sheikh Nahyan, who oversees the UAE’s national efforts to promote tolerance and coexistence, added another dimension to a homecoming shaped by the values she associates with Abu Dhabi.
Mejo won the national title in Jaipur from a field of more than 50 finalists. She will now represent India at the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico in November.
Her goal is to bring the international crown back to India.
“My first and foremost vision is to bring the crown of Miss Universe back to India,” she said.
For now, however, Mejo is celebrating a promise kept — returning to Abu Dhabi with the crown she had pledged to bring home.
