A banker by profession, Abel Biju is looking to represent India globally at the Mister Supranational stage in Poland, and he is looking forward to being the face of the dreams of every Indian. “We are a country of 1.4 billion people and when I’m there, I’m not just representing myself as an individual. I am carrying the dreams of billions, so the title comes with a responsibility but one that I’m willingly happy to take on,” he says.
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Abel Biju comes from a diverse family background as her mother stays in Italy, his elder sister is in London, while his younger brother is in Poland. Excited to have that familiar face present there as he heads to the European nation soon, the 25-year-old says, “Technically, I’ve never visited Europe, but I have seen Europe through my brother’s eyes and we have planned an amazing shopping list already when I am there,” adding that he is sure of one thing after this competition: “When I’m planning my next international trip, I won’t be as clueless because I will have brothers across the world.”
An introvert and shy person, Abel insists that it took time for him to adjust to the life of the glamour world, but eventually he did and it made him more confident in himself. “Apart from learning to hold the hair dryer and a makeup brush at the same time, I kind of fell in love with myself and all my imperfections. I was a very insecure, shy guy even after winning the National title, but the experience made me realise how important it is to love our imperfections and embrace our vulnerabilities.”
But the moment he fell in love with the process is when he started his Ground Up initiative SHOW UP. “The reason behind it was my grandmother. When I was having a conversation with her, she told me that she would rather move to an old age home, not just because of care, but because she felt lonely. So, with my initiative, I went to schools and colleges and urged youngsters to spend more time with the elders. When I visited all these elderly people at old age homes, the love and warmth they gave to me was immense. After winning, I want to take my initiative in a global space, where no elders in this world should ever feel lonely,” he shares.
As for his future plans, he reveals he is still on sabbatical and hasn’t resigned from his banking job yet. “I have to go back and see whether there is a chair there for me after this. I am also planning to learn acting as I want to pursue that. But I need to go to some acting school and learn the proper way and then start my journey,” he ends.
