Caracas: It is believed that everybody in this world has some connection to India.
While the authenticity of this belief cannot be corroborated, ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores certainly did.
The couple were followers of the Indian spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba, it has now come to light.
Raised Catholic, Maduro was introduced to Sathya Sai Baba through his future wife, Cilia Flores, who accompanied him in cultivating a spiritual practice alongside his political ambitions. The couple visited the Prasanthi Nilayam ashram in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, in 2005 for a private meeting with the godman, as reported by India Today.
A photograph from that visit, showing a young Maduro and Flores, seated on the floor, next to Sai Baba, has resurfaced and is circulating widely on social media following recent developments.
Sathya Sai Baba seems to have had a lasting impression on Maduro. Even as he rose through the ranks, his reverence for the spiritual leader remained visible.
It has been reported that a portrait of the Indian spiritual leader hung prominently in Maduro’s private office in the Miraflores Palace, alongside images of Simon Bolivar and Hugo Chavez.
F
ollowing Sai Baba’s death in 2011, Maduro, then Venezuela’s foreign minister, pushed for an official condolence resolution in the National Assembly, declaring a day of national mourning to formally acknowledge the guru’s spiritual contributions.
The Sathya Sai organisation continued to operate in Venezuela under Maduro’s governance, even as many foreign institutions faced expulsion. Venezuela now hosts one of the largest Sai Baba devotee communities in Latin America, with roots dating back to 1974.
In 2024, government invitations for National Day celebrations even featured the symbol of “Om,” signalling the continued cultural footprint of the spiritual community.
Just months before his capture by US forces, Maduro publicly commemorated Sathya Sai Baba’s centenary, describing him as a “being of light” in an official statement.
“I always remember him when we met… May the wisdom of this great teacher continue to enlighten us,” he had said, highlighting a personal side of the Venezuelan leader often overshadowed by his political controversies.
Maduro was born into a working-class family on November 23, 1962 and began his career as a bus driver in the early 1990s. He emerged as an early supporter of Hugo Chavez following the latter’s failed coup attempt.
He went on to rise through the political ranks, becoming a member of the National Assembly, then foreign minister, and eventually president after Chavez’s death in 2013. His tenure was marked by economic collapse, hyperinflation, food shortages and sustained political unrest, culminating in his ouster and capture on Saturday.