Delcy Rodriguez, who was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim President on Monday, days after United States forces seized her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, who is now facing trial in New York, has an India connection that many people may not be aware of.
Soon after she was sworn in by Venezuela’s parliament, several photographs of Rodriguez surfaced on social media, with claims that, like her predecessor and his wife, she too is a devotee of Indian spiritual leader and philanthropist Sathya Sai Baba.
According to reports, Rodriguez has visited the Prasanthi Nilayam ashram, the spiritual headquarters and Samadhi Mandir of Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, on two occasions in recent years. Her first visit took place on August 5, 2023, when she was in India as part of a Venezuelan delegation attending the G20 Summit. While the delegation’s official purpose was to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties, the visit to the ashram was described as personal in nature, undertaken to pay respects to Sathya Sai Baba.
Nearly a year later, Rodriguez returned to Prasanthi Nilayam on October 26, 2024, during her tenure as Venezuela’s Executive Vice President. Accompanied by Capaya Rodriguez Gonzalez, Venezuela’s Ambassador to India, she offered obeisance at the ashram, according to a press release issued by the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust. She was received by Managing Trustee R J Rathnakar, who guided her through the premises, including the Sanctum Sanctorum and Shanthi Bhavan, two of the ashram’s most significant spiritual sites.
The Trust said Rodriguez expressed deep joy at revisiting Prasanthi Nilayam, noting that being in the divine presence of Sathya Sai Baba gave her a sense of calm and tranquillity. During both visits, she spent time in prayer at the Sanctum Sanctorum and Shanthi Bhavan, speaking of the peace she experienced there. The Ministry of External Affairs has noted that several spiritual and cultural centres in Venezuela have been established by Indian gurus and organisations, including followers of Sathya Sai Baba, Brahma Kumaris, and Radha Swami, reflecting enduring spiritual ties between the two countries.
