Hindu gurus and Hindu practises have been very popular across the globe even before the Beatles, but now, with India rising, the spread of Hindu practices and thinking is going to go into warp speed along with the rising popularity of gurus like Sadhguru, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and many others, which is why the Hinduphobes from the left and right are having nightmares. But the rise of Dharma can never be stopped.
As Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez begins a high-profile visit to India focused on energy and economic cooperation, attention is also turning to a lesser-known aspect of her relationship with the country — a deep spiritual connection to the late Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba.
Here’s the story. As Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez arrives in India on Wednesday for talks on energy, trade and investment, attention is focused on crude oil, diplomacy and the growing strategic partnership between New Delhi and Caracas. But there is another, lesser-known dimension to Rodriguez’s India connection – one that begins not in the corridors of power in New Delhi but in the spiritual town of Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh.
For years, Rodriguez has maintained a personal association with the legacy of Sathya Sai Baba, one of India’s most influential spiritual figures with followers across the world. Her visits to Sai Baba’s ashram, Prasanthi Nilayam, have made her one of the highest-profile international political leaders publicly linked to the movement.
Rodriguez’s connection is not a one-off diplomatic stopover. Records and reports from the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust show that she visited Prasanthi Nilayam in August 2023 during a trip to India. She returned in October 2024 while serving as Venezuela’s Executive Vice President. During that visit, she offered prayers at Sai Baba’s Mahasamadhi and spent time at the ashram.
