Venezuela’s President and His Wife Are Sathya Sai Devotees?

Venezuela leaders have strong connections with India. This might sound surprising but it is true. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro led to media attention on his background, revealing that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are devotees of Indian spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba. Even Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, now serving as the Venezuela’s acting President, is also Sathya Sai Baba’s devotee.

Though raised as Catholic, Maduro was introduced to Sathya Sai Baba by his future wife, Cilia Flores. In 2005, the couple visited Prasanthi Nilayam in Puttaparthi and had a private meeting with the guru. Images from the meeting show Maduro and Flores sitting at Sai Baba’s feet.

Following the couple’s capture by the US armed forces, a photo showing the Maduro and Flores sitting at the feet of Sathya Sai Baba has surfaced. According to reports, Maduro’s private office in Miraflores Palace, had a portrait of the Indian godman hung on the walls, alongside Simon Bolivar and Hugo Chavez.

In 2011, after the death of Sathya Sai Baba, Maduro pushed for an official condolence resolution, declaring a day of national mourning. Maduro also allowed Sathya Sai organisations to flourish in Venezuela and for the National Day celebrations in 2024, invitation cards featured the symbol of ‘Om’, showing the spiritual inclination of the leader.

Maduro’s deputy Delcy Rodriguez also is a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba. She visited Prasanthi Nilayam ashram at Puttaparthi twice in 2023 and the next year.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs said spiritual and cultural centres of Indian Gurus and organisations like Brahma Kumaris and Radha Swami had also been established in Venezuela.