Hugo Chavez's successor Nicolas Maduro a devotee of Satya Sai Baba

[subbu prashant]

Former bus driver and union leader Nicolas Maduro, successor to Hugo Chavez, is an ardent follower of Satya Sai Baba. One of Maduro's offices features a large portrait of the late spiritual guru, whom he and his wife, Cilia Flores, visited at Puttaparthi in Anantapur district in 2005.

Maduro followed a simple strategy when he filled in for cancer-stricken Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez over the past three months: copy his boss's policies, his style and even his fierce rhetoric.

Chavez gone, heir apparent to run Venezuela

In the presidential election, Maduro, a follower of Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, will probably be pitted against Henrique Capriles, a local governor who was beaten by Chavez by a margin of 11% in the presidential election last October. According to the latest opinion polls, Maduro will win easily

ToI Hyderabad Adds: Maduro has visited Prashanti Nilayam, the worldwide headquarters of the Sai Baba in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, on several occasions.

"Maduro visited Prashanti Nilayam four or five times, including once after the Swami attained Maha Samadhi. Whenever, he visited, he was accompanied by a large Venezuelan delegation and would stay at Shanti Bhavan, the VIP guest house," said Anantharaman, media coordinator of the Sai Central Trust.

"After the Swami's Maha Samadhi, the Venezuelan assembly passed a condolence resolution and also declared a day of national mourning. A mention was also made of the swami in the gazette extraordinary," Anantharaman said.

According to Trust officials, Venezuela was the centre for the promotion of teachings of Sai Baba in South America. The first Venezuelan disciples of Sai Baba date back to 1972 and Venezuelans formed a big delegation to the Second World Conference of Sai Organizations in 1975 in Puttaparthi.

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S Subramanian
Research Associate
Institute for Social and Economic Change
Nagarabhavi
Bangalore 560072
Phone: +91 9916357384
E Mail: prasha...@gmail.com, prasha...@isec.ac.in