Venezuela strongman’s lesser known spiritual connection resurfaces after dramatic arrest
January 7, 2026: Venezuela’s ousted president Nicolás Maduro shares an unusual spiritual connection with India rooted in his devotion to Sathya Sai Baba. Introduced to the Indian spiritual leader by his wife Cilia Flores before their marriage Maduro visited the Prasanthi Nilayam ashram in Puttaparthi in 2005 and later kept Sai Baba’s portrait alongside Venezuelan icons in his office.
After Sai Baba’s death in 2011 Maduro who was then foreign minister led a condolence resolution in Venezuela’s National Assembly and declared a day of national mourning. The Sathya Sai organisation continued to function in the country even as several foreign institutions were expelled and Venezuela today hosts one of the largest Sai Baba devotee communities in Latin America.
Born into a working class family Maduro rose from being a bus driver to president after Hugo Chávez’s death in 2013. His rule was marked by economic crisis and confrontation with the US. On Saturday US President Donald Trump announced that Maduro and Flores were captured and flown out of Venezuela marking a major political turning point.