'Hindu civilization' in business: the World Hindu Economic Forum's intellectual project.

The article examines the World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF), a transnational business organization linked to Hindu nationalist circles and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), focusing on its use of civilizational rhetoric rooted in ancient Hindu civilization as the basis for its business strategy. WHEF constructs an elite conception of the world that justifies development by invoking a glorified Hindu past, claims moral and cultural superiority over Western capitalist models, and promises India's future economic re-emergence through a strategy integrating Hindu values with neoliberal market principles. This strategy comprises three pillars: Hindu nationalist knowledge production, spiritual enrichment, and community finance aimed at supporting Hindu entrepreneurs globally. The article situates WHEF members as organic intellectuals who leverage this civilizational rhetoric to reinforce Hindu nationalist sentiments while engaging with contemporary global political economy dynamics.