Dinesh Kamath's news item 'City bikers to distribute solar lanterns among villagers' that was published in Newsband

City bikers to distribute solar lanterns among villagers

By Dinesh Kamath

(Above) Solar Lantern

NAVI MUMBAI: Some bikers of Navi Mumbai will be visiting a village near the city on November 10 and here they will distribute solar lanterns among the villagers. Distributing of solar lanterns is being done as a part of the campaign ‘Light Up India’. This project will help some villages to get lit up within few months.

The people of the city are lucky to be in a position to use electricity to the extent they want. But in villages, the poor villagers have to spend their nights in darkness. The project will also help in cutting down fuel expenses and to generate light with the help of solar method.

Thus these bikers are mixing their love for riding activity with a social cause and they enjoy the support of online media, newspaper, TV and other mediums. Their idea of lighting up the villages is commendable and deserves to be lauded. They are indeed doing a yeomen service to the society. Any member of the society who wish to join these bikers are free to do so. They will be briefed about how to go about with this social work. They will be informed about the places they will have to visit, villagers they will have to mix with and distribute the solar lanterns to.

Many people are showing keen interest in this solar lamp and would like to know as much as possible about it. So here is some information about a typical solar lamp or lantern:

A solar lamp is a portable light fixture composed of an LED lamp, a photovoltaic solar panel, and a rechargeable battery. Outdoor lamps may have lamp, solar panel and battery integrated in one unit. Indoor solar lamps with separately-mounted solar panels are used for general illumination where centrally generated power is not conveniently or economically available. Solar-powered household lighting may displace light sources such as kerosene lamps, saving money for the user, and reducing fire and pollution hazards.

Solar lamps recharge during the day. Automatic outdoor lamps turn on at dusk and remain illuminated overnight, depending on how much sunlight they receive during the day.

Solar garden lights are used for decoration, and come in a wide variety of designs. They are sometimes holiday-themed and may come in animal shapes. They are frequently used to mark footpaths or the areas around swimming pools. Some solar lights do not provide as much light as a line-powered lighting system, but they are easily installed and maintained, and provide a cheaper alternative to wired lamps.

Solar street lights provide public lighting without use of an electrical grid; they may have individual panels for each lamp of a system, or may have a large central solar panel and battery bank to power multiple lamps.

To reduce the overall cost of a solar lighting system, energy saving lamps of either the fluorescent or LED lamp type are used, since incandescent bulbs consume several times as much energy for a given quantity of light.

In rural India, solar lamps, commonly called solar lanterns, using either LEDs or CFLs, are being used to replace kerosene lamps. Cheapest Solar Lantern aims to displace Kerosene Lamps. The newest solar lantern is dubbed as "The Kerosene Killer." That's because it is the cheapest, relatively high quality solar lantern on the market. An attempt is being made by some people in the world to wipe kerosene lamps from the face of the planet for awhile now, and they might have just come out with something that could do the trick. If the specs are on target, there's no reason why this lantern can't replace kerosene lamps on a wide scale.

A typical solar lantern needs 8 hours of sunlight for a full charge (or 4 hours plugged in to AC with a standard Nokia mobile phone adapter). A full charge will provide 8 hours of light on a low setting, which is good for walking outside or socializing, or 4 hours of light on the high setting, which is intended for working, studying and other activities that need bright light. The company also states that the lantern is at least four times brighter than a kerosene lantern, so users aren't giving up lighting quality for off-grid charging capabilities.

The cost of this solar lantern is low. It is really cheap. But apparently it is made to be sturdy and durable. If it is to replace kerosene, it needs to be long-lasting as well as bright and easily rechargeable. But solar lantern is undoubtedly an example of innovative and affordable technology

Since it is being delivered at a low and affordable price, it is bound to become a serious competitor to kerosene and other fuel-based lighting in every rural market.

The cheap price, the high quality light, the durability of the lanterns, and the length of time the battery lasts are all key features for the product to be able to replace kerosene. If any one of them is off, then it won't be the "kerosene killer" that many hope it'll be. But however, replacing kerosene with solar power in a significant way would be a boon for everyone.

Hence one should appreciate the efforts being made by these bikers of Navi Mumbai to illuminate as many villages as possible with the help of solar lanterns. If they succeed in this endeavour, they are bound to inspire many more people and organizations in the country to do the same.  

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Sri Ahobila Mutt of KK to celebrate anniversaries of two Vaishnava gurus' that was published in Newsband

Sri Ahobila Mutt of KK to celebrate anniversaries of two Vaishnava gurus

By Dinesh Kamath

KOPARKHAIRANE: Sri Ahobila Mutt in Koparkhairane will celebrate the anniversaries of two Vaishnava gurus – Swami Vedanta Desikan and Srimath Adivan Sathkopa Yatheendra Mahadesikan.

These two gurus had spent their lives preaching about the Vaishnavite lifestyle. Their literatures and poetries based on Vaishnavite way of living are read even today. These literary works talk about goodness which has the highest value and also the importance of reposing faith in God. They also highlight the importance of generosity which is one of the highest virtue for any man to possess.

The Ahobila Mutt of KK is holding such event for the tenth time. The event will take place from November 10 to November 17 in Kalash Udayan in sector 11, Koparkhairane.

There will be vedic recitals, singing of spiritual verses and spiritual discourses. There will also be recitals of Vaishnava hymns in praise of lord Vishnu followed by an aarti and prasad distribution. The organizers are members of Lakshmi Nrisimha Swamy Kainkarya Sabha (SLNSKS) which comes under Sri Ahobila Mutt.

The celebration will also include the taking of a procession in Koperkhairane and Vashi. The idol of Swami Vedanta Desikan will feature in the procession. There will be many discourses on spirituality and people will be informed about the contributions of these two gurus whose anniversaries are being observed.

Ahobila Mutt (also called Ahobila Matam) is a Vadakalai Sri Vaishnava religious institution established 600 years ago at Ahobilam in India by Athivan Satakopa Svami (originally known as Srinivasacharya). Athivan Satakopa, a Vadakalai brahmin, who was a great grand disciple of Vedanta Desika and a sishya of Brahmatantra Swatantra Jiyar of Parakala Mutt, founded and established the Muth, based on the Pancharatra tradition.

As per legend, one of the nine Narasimhas of Ahobilam called Lord Malolan jumped into the hands of Srinivasacharya and ordered him to travel the length and breadth of the country. The current pontiff is the 46th Jeeyar Sri Satakopa Sri Ranganatha Yateendra Mahadesikan. He succeeded the previous pontiff 45th Jeeyar Sri Satakopa Sri Narayana Yateendra Mahadesikan who attained Acharyan Thiruvadi on 19 May 2013 following a prolonged illness.

There is Sri Ahobila Mutt at Lakshmi Narasimha Lakshmi Narayana Temple, Ahobila Mutt Marg, Chembur in Mumbai. The Ahobila Mutt temple in Chembur, established in 1968, is a preeminent religious center in this northern suburb of Mumbai.

Several other temples such as the Nine (Nava) Narasimha temples of Ahobilam, Veeraraghava temple in Tiruvallur and Valvil Rama temple in the outskirts of Kumbakonam (Pullaboothankudi), are administered by Ahobila Muth. The Mutt also has several branches across India. The Mutt at Koperkhairane is one of the branches.

The Ahobila Mutt has several religious and educational institutions in India which are:  Sri Ahobila Muth Sanskrit College (established in 1942), Sri Ahobila Muth Veda Patashala (established in 1942), Sri Ahobila Muth Oriental High School (established in 1952), Sri Ahobila Muth Center for Human Resource Development (established in 2002) and Sri Malolan College of Arts and Science, Madurantakam, (established in 2009).

Members of the Ahobila Mutt of Koparkhairane is expecting a huge number of devotees to attend this event and make it a grand success.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'A good attempt to prevent arbitrary transfer of bureaucrats' that was published in Newsband

A good attempt to prevent arbitrary transfer of bureaucrats

In Indian government offices, it is a crime to be honest. We constantly hear of cases where an honest civil servant is subjected to arbitrary transfer or suspension by the political executive at the behest of vested interests.

Supreme Court has come up with a landmark verdict in this regard. Three significant administrative reforms arise out of the Supreme Court’s verdict on a petition by more than 80 former bureaucrats: a fixed tenure for civil servants so that they are not transferred at the whims and fancies of the political executive; and a stipulation that all instructions by superiors be in writing, to protect officers from wrongful pressure from their superiors, political masters and vested interests. SC came up with this verdict with the intention of preventing arbitrary transfers, ensuring good governance, transparency and accountability in governmental functions.

The court has found that the ‘politician-bureaucrat-industrialist’ nexus is so entrenched that it requires a sustained systemic effort to cleanse the administrative system. The judicial review by SC might create discomfort among powerful politician who use bureaucrats as puppets for gaining favours. SC’s verdict is bound to provide energetic air to those bureaucrats who really work for people without any undue pressure from seniors and politician.

That the Supreme Court has come with a set of reforms for Civil Servants is welcome. However the bureaucrats should be made accountable for their actions. Their promotions should be based on merit/performance rather than seniority and proximity to politicians. Honest and upright bureaucrats should not only be provided insulation from transfers but also adequate security to them and their families from undue attack from hooligans and powerful politicians. Unless these points are addressed the current sorry state of civil services will continue.

Safe-guards should be included to protect the honest junior and superior members of the bureaucracy, political executive and judiciary. Care should also be taken that the bureaucrats themselves don’t turn tyrannical by using the advised act as a shield.

The Supreme Court judgement is only a step towards an improved and efficient and administration. Unless there is a political will and public awareness, the interference with administration by politicians will continue, though such directives from SC can make it a little tougher. The bulk of interference at mid and grassroots working levels will continue. This fixed tenure can only make the life of higher echelons a little more pleasant. The mid level interference which concerns the common man will continue unabated.

Officials with party leanings and caste leanings have to be tackled before they get fixed tenure. Probably a neutral agency will be needed to keep watch and ward off tainted bureaucrats before they get their tenure. Such fair appraisals can not be expected by politicians who are always on the lookout for pliable bureaucrats.

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai’ (Free Birds, Khara Sangu Khota Khota, Thor: The Dark World, Huff – It’s too much and Satya 2) that was published in Newsband

New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

Free Birds

Free Birds is a 2013 American 3D computer-animated buddy comedy film produced by Reel FX Creative Studios. Jimmy Hayward directed the film, which features the voices of Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson and Amy Poehler. It was originally titled Turkeys.

Free Birds is an animated time-travel adventure that tells the story of the first Thanksgiving from the perspective of the turkeys desperate to keep the Pilgrims and Native Americans from leading to the annual destruction of their kind. There's some gun violence and an important character is killed. The language includes some insults like "dumb" and "coward," plus there's some borderline insensitive depictions of turkeys as similar to Native Americans. Plus, there's a romantic subplot and glimpses of a telenovela where a man is always surrounded by beautiful women.

In Free Birds, Reggie (voiced by Owen Wilson) has always been the odd turkey out. He's smarter than the rest of his flock and understands they're being fattened up for slaughter. When the president arrives for the annual turkey pardon, Reggie ends up the lucky fowl thanks to the young first daughter. Back at Camp David, Reggie is living it up with telenovelas and pizza delivery when he's kidnapped by Jake (Woody Harrelson), a strong, scatterbrained turkey. Jake tells Reggie that "The Great Turkey" has sent them on a mission to go back in time to the First Thanksgiving and "get turkeys off the menu." Reggie is skeptical, but soon the pair discovers a secret time machine and ends up in Plymouth Colony 1621.

Khara Sangu Khota Khota

Khara Sangu Khota Khota is a Marathi film directed by Sanjeev Naik with star cast consisting of Ashok Saraf as Dhandalkar, Sayaji Shinde as Dhandle Patil, Nirmiti Sawant as Nani Saranjame, Analesh Desai as Dushyant, Trishala Shah as Yashaswi, Hemangi Velankar and Dipjyoti Naik. Cinematographer is Manjunath Nayka, Editor: Sanjeev Naik, Umesh Rane, Choreographer: Domnic Alvaris, Shailendra Koli, Art Director: Tejaswini Arts, Writer: Ramchandra Sadekar, Lyricist: Aarati Desai, Music Director: Shreerang Aras and Singers: Awadhoot Gupte, Vaishali Samant, Vaishali Made, Swapnil Bandodkar and Shivprasad Mallya.

Khara Sangu Khota Khota is set on the backdrop of a village- Dhandalgaon, which has witnessed traditional rivalry between two neighbours. Dhandle Patil (Sayaji Shinde) and Dhandalkar (Ashok Saraf) are involved in all such acts, to show their supremacy in the village. The enmity between these two has reached such a stage that it has become a pass time of the villagers - so much so that some notorious people play the role of adding fuel into fire, by instigating them against each other.

Incidentally, the children of these two rivals study in the same college in a city. Forgetting the rivalry of his father with Dhandle Patil, Dushyant (Anlesh Desai), son of Dhandalkar, is madly in love with Dhandle Patil’s daughter Yashaswi (Trishla). To win her love, he fails twice, so that he could be in her class. Yashaswee, who is well aware of the rivalry; initially plays safe, to keep Dushyant away.

But the time comes when both the children are invited by their parents to the village and they travel in the same bus. In the meanwhile, the arrival of an enterprising and wholehearted character of Nani Saranjame (Nirmitee Sawant) who is a spinster running a marriage bureau brings them together. But, on reaching their respective places there begins the real trouble for both. However, the interaction of Nani with Dhandle Patil and Dhandalkar gives rise to humour filled situations only to flourish the love between Dushyant and Yashaswi.

Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World is a 2013 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the second Thor film following 2011's Thor and the eighth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was directed by Alan Taylor, with a screenplay by Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and features Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins reprising their roles from the first, with newcomers Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Zachary Levi and Clive Russell joining the cast.

Kenneth Branagh's Thor had a certain playfulness that pitted the ultra-serious world of Asgard, land of the Norse gods, against 21st-century USA.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has been locked up after his escapades in both Thor and The Avengers. Thor spent the past two years restoring order to the Nine Realms. But his heart is still with Earthling scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). Jane, unfortunately, has made an unexpected trip to the Dark World. There, she's been infected with the Aether, a source of evil in the universe previously only known to anesthesiologists.

It's up to Thor to rescue her, both from the Aether (which looks the unleashed contents of an angry lava lamp) and from the Dark Elves, who were thought extinct. In fact, they've come back to gain possession of the Aether and plunge the Nine Realms into perpetual darkness.

Thus Thor: The Dark World sees the popular Norse deity combating an enemy as old as time, who aims to plunge the universe into darkness.

Huff - It's Too Much

The film Huff – It’s Too Much is produced by M. Sumanth Kumar Reddy, Dr. Arun Kumar Sharma, directed by Pushkar Jog and the actors in the film are Pushkar Jog, Armeena Rana Khan, Omar Khan, Mona Kiren, Humayun Zubairi and Niks Vaja. Music Director is Saii-Piyush and story writer is Pushkar Jog. The genre of the film: Romantic, Comedy.

Shot at locations across the United Kingdom, the film marks Pushkar Jog's directorial (Hindi) and Indo-Brit actress Armeena Rana Khan's acting debuts. The film is a romantic-comedy revolving around a creative director, his quirky best friend and a woman that he is confused about.

The film is an all and out youth centric romantic-comedy set in London dealing with the tryst and tribulation of young 'Desis' staying abroad. It is not just a funny take on their life and interaction, but also an out and out family film and with outstanding music.

With music by Saii-Piyush featuring singers Lucky Ali, Adnan Sami, Salim Merhant, Kunaal Ganjawala, Mahalaxmi Iyyer, Suzanne D'Mello and Marriane Dcruz, the film also has Pushkar Jog essaying the role of the male lead. This film had Indo-British Actress Armeena Rana Khan do things she never did before.

Satya 2

Satya 2 is a Bollywood crime film with production design by Saini S. Johray, directed by Ram Gopal Varma, as a sequel to his earlier blockbuster Satya. The film stars Puneet Singh Ratn, Anaika Soti, Aradhna Gupta, Mahesh Thakur and others. The film tells the story of Satya, an immigrant who comes to Mumbai aiming to refashion the Mumbai underworld.

The film has an interesting plot. By the year 2013, Mumbai underworld was erased by Mumbai Police. Satya (Puneet Singh Ratn), a man without a past, comes to the city envisions the rebirth of his company.

We are now in 2013 and since there is almost no underworld now, it is clear that there's a vacuum and whenever there's a vacuum in any lucrative business there will always be an entrepreneur to step in. If Satya was a story of a man who came in 1998 and shaped the then existing underworld, Satya 2 is about another man who comes in 2013 to reinvent the underworld. This is a futuristic film not in terms of science fiction but in terms of that there's no precedent for the protagonist of Satya 2. He starts a new underworld company based on his study of the mistakes of all the earlier dons and also on the ways he develops to deal with the modern day policing methods.

The police is completely caught off guard by this never before experienced menace of the new Company. So in one line Satya 2 is about a man whose thinking starts where the earlier Dons thinking ended and where the police cannot even begin to think. This new age gangster will obviously be armed with the mistakes of the earlier gangsters and also with the modern day policing methods.

The film has Puneet Singh Ratn as Satya, Anaika Soti as Chitra, Mahesh Thakur as Lahoti, Naara as Amitriyaan, Aradhna Gupta as Naanthanda, Raj Premi as RK, Amal Sehrawat as TK, Kaushal Kapoor as Purshottam and Vikram Singh as Anna.

To be still clearer as far as the story of film is concerned, nothing about Satya is what one would expect from a conventional don, neither his age nor his built. But there is something about his eyes and the way he looks at people. His stare can spread more fear than a hard core act of violence. A man of minimal words, and a million mind-games, Satya is as much a part of the crowd as he is the commander of it, as mysterious as he's out in the open. The only known truth about him is that nobody knows anything about him.

Satya's love interest is a pretty 19 year old girl. There is a naivety about Chitra that adds to her beauty. Lahoti is the one who discovers Satya and in a way unleashes his reign. A man with more enemies than friends and more a father-like figure to Satya than even a friend, Lahoti's role in Satya's life is indispensable. Naara is Satya's closest confidante, his soul mate, so much so that blood is bound to appear if someone tries to rip the two apart. Aradhna Gupta is the best friend of Chitra and quite unlike the happy-go-lucky boyfriend Naara, and she cannot be taken for a ride and that's possibly why she and Satya can never be good friends. RK lacks Lahoti's polish and class. But, he has his own way of commanding attention. RK has no idea that the revival of his gang was, in effect, the beginning of Satya's new Company. TK has the same impulsive, old-world aggression as his father RK. TK has a huge ego and it shows in his eyes every time it's injured. Absolutely miffed by his father's new projects, and extremely envious of Satya, he unknowingly heralds the cradle of Satya's master game plan. Purshottam is a retired joint commissioner of crime who is brought back into the force on special duty to tackle the new company. He is perpetually trying to outdo Satya's next move. Purshottam thinks quite like his enemy, out of the box, dangerous, and is extremely difficult to decode. There could not have been a more befitting opponent for Satya. Anna’s eyes and ears follow only Satya and he watches and hears only what he is told to. Loyalty is his biggest virtue or at least many think so.

The soundtrack of the film consists of nine tracks composed by Nitin Raikwar, Sanjeev-Darshan, Kary Arora and Shree D and lyrics by Moied Elhaam, Nitin Raikwar, Kumaar, Sonny Ravan and Shree D. The songs are Tu Hai, Special, Maagne Se (Title Song), Palkon Se, Saathi Re, Taaqat, Control, Veerani and Satya Is Back Again.

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Free Jaipur Foot Camp by F4U' that was published in Newsband

Free Jaipur Foot Camp by F4U

By Dinesh Kamath

(Below) Pictures of the patient with his newly fit leg 

NAVI MUMBAI: Freedom For You Foundation (F4U) NGO, is working for empowerment of Citizens, especially the under-privileged, by conducting various programs for the under-privileged. The mission of this NGO is to create Awareness, Education and Training in basic and specific skills so as to empower the citizens’ socio-economic, health and wellness, spiritual faculties of the life.

Now this NGO is organizing a FREE Jaipur Foot camp jointly with Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayta Samiti (BMVSS) at Sri Sant Savta Mali Mandal Hall, Sector 5, Airoli, from Nov 21 to Nov 23. They are targeting about 200 patients to benefit from this 3 day camp.

"The physically challenged patients walks in to our camp and will proudly walk out with his newly fit leg(s), with dignity", mentioned Dr Ravi Kumar, CEO and Trustee of this NGO. We already have more than 20 patients from Panvel, Andheri, Badlapur, Kalyan, Colaba etc who have been sourced through well-wishers and friends, mentioned Dr Ravi.

The patient can register in advance/or at the camp on the above dates. A team of Doctors would diagnose the patient and take suitable measurements. The technical team would manufacture the legs then and there within a few hours, and try it out on the patient, help him in walking, give physiotherapy treatment if necessary. “We would make the patient walk on his newly fit leg(s) and make him comfortable by tailoring making the unit,” mentioned Ms Sharmila Gaikwad, another trustee of this NGO.

They have also made arrangements for morning breakfast, afternoon lunch and evening tea/biscuits for the patients, volunteers from a few organizations, including employees from a nearby MNC etc. Even a rest room for aged patients is being planned during the waiting time while the Jaipur foot is being manufactured at site.

Our partner in this camp, BMVSS has been a world leader in providing the prosthetic limbs, well known as 'Jaipur Foot' through out the world; It has conducted numerous such camps throughout the length and breadth of India and also in about 26 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America etc and more than 1.3 million people have been benefited till date. Recently the Mumbai office located in KEM Hospital, has got a mini bus, donated by Dow Chemical International Pvt Ltd, on which all the state-of -the-art equipment have been mounted for manufacture of the Jaipur foot at the camp site. This bus will be parked at the camp site for 3 days and shall be used for manufacturing 'tailor-made' Jaipur-foot for each and every disabled patient.

After fitting this artificial limb, a below-knee amputees can sit, run, squat, climb, walk and swim. Many of these functions can be performed by above-knee amputees as well. Made of superior quality material, lightweight and flexible, durable with high impact resistance and high tensile strength, this Jaipur foot can be used with or without shoes.

Those who want to register for this camp, can contact Dr Ravi S Kumar (93225 92902), Mr Santosh Kanvilkar (91679 95017), Mr Ramaswamy (98208 74028)

NGO Freedom For You is in the field of empowerment of people, mainly distressed / oppressed children, women and senior citizens from the lower strata of the society, and their rehabilitation in all spheres of life viz., mental, physical, socio-economic and spiritual. All donations to this NGO are tax exempt under section 80-G of the IT ACT 1961.

Dinesh Kamath's cartoons based on 'Alooramji' that were published in Newsband

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'America spying on other countries – nothing new' that was published in Newsband

America spying on other countries – nothing new

As per the National Security Agency documents, the United States spied on 35 heads of state. NSA’s surveillance programme has been considered as just a “routine” espionage. The thing is America has been able to sustain its virtual global hegemony for over half a century.

Many countries of the world did protest against such spying exercise conducted by America. But India has chosen not to join the chorus of protests emanating from the international community. The UPA government is disinclined to allow this issue to cast a shadow on its emerging strategic equation with the U.S. New Delhi’s response has been that “there is no concern” and the Prime Minister’s office has been spied on because Manmohan Singh “does not use a mobile phone or have an e-mail account.” The thing is if India had to have the same technology which America possesses, India would then do the same thing.

America has made it clear that its sole purpose was to counter terrorism activities and not to develop bitter relations with other countries. There is a feeling that US has spied on Indian politicians, scientists and other persons related to nuclear programme. But US considers India as strategic partner and hence both Indian government and Media are silent.

America has justified its mass surveillance program by saying that it was to fight terrorism, dismantle the terrorist infrastructure that has been built overtime by likes of Al Qaeda, Lashkar-E-Toiba, Taliban etc. While the terrorism still exists and continues to haunt the world, America in the name of surveillance have got it hands to the strategic information, security information of various countries around the world that it has used to its advantage to consolidate its position as a powerful nation and has also strengthened its security

All the other countries should be sporting in the sense that either you beat technology with technology or you take it lying down, even if you are a German, who were the forerunners in technology.

USA is the lone super power in the world and so they can do what they want to do. The political leadership clearly understands our limitations so they are silent and there is nothing wrong in it. Why to make a big deal of something which usually happens? We too spy on our citizens. The only credit to US is that it is the only super-power in unipolar world. In India we have booth capturing, in US they are just a bit more "sophisticated" and "educated". Spying is a continuous game all governments play, irrespective of the status of the other countries, as friends or foes. Only thing new here is that this time it came out in the open.

One of the strengths of the superpowers is their ability to keep a constant monitoring of countries, all over the world. USA controls the internet communication and also the GPS satellite systems. This is the price nations have to pay for enjoying these benefits. It is not spying alone; countries conduct espionage activities like sabotage in unfriendly countries, at all times.

If countries have to protect their secrets, they need to develop their own internet systems and servers, launch their own GPS satellites and location services and develop their own efficient search engines and email systems like google and yahoo. Till that time, we will be at the mercy of superpowers and they will keep snooping.