Mid-Week Reads - The Best of Politics, Economics, & Ideas

This is the 200th post on this blog. 

Starting this week, I will post only two set of great reads in The Best of Politics, Economics, & Ideas series. These will be posted on Sunday and Wednesday / Thursday (the latter will be titled 'Mid-Week Reads').

Here are some interesting mid-week reads for you.

• Life after investment banking. (Wall Street Oasis)

Like everyone there, I worked my ass to the bone, working mind numbingly boring work. My life was emails, excel, powerpoint, meetings, endless drafts and markups about shit I couldn't give less of a fuck about, edits, drafts, edits, drafts, edits, send to printers, pick up, courier, meetings, more work, multitasking, boredom, boredom, tired, boredom, avoiding the staffer on a friday, more work, depression, tired, tired, tired, fucking miserable. 15 hour days were a minimum, 16-17 were normal, 20+ were frequent and once or twice a month there would be the dreaded all nighter. I worked around 2 out of every 4 weekends in some form. I was never free, I always had my blackberry with me, and thus I could never truly dettach myself from the job.  

• Scientific verification of Vedic knowledge. (Archaeology Online)

• The rise of India’s soft power. (FP) 

• Indians have not learned to think strategically. (ET)

The Telegraph's graphic gives a lowdown on facts and figures of Haj.