“A rumour swept through my college: CCTV cam­eras were being in­stalled in every classroom to curb the class bunks of the deviants. The ru­mour never materi­alised but left a resi­due in my mind. The gossip, conversations and even a whisper were assumed to have been monitored. A mere glance out of the window would send shivers when the principal was seen strolling outside. Was he coming because he saw me interrupting the physics teach­er, or writing on the white shirt of my friend, or doodling at the back of my journal? The camer­as never worked, but the fear did. The Big Brother was al­ways watching.”

The idea of panopticism has been a topic of hot debate among social and political thinkers of the 20th century. Introduced by Bentham, the idea creates an il­lusion of a prison where every­one is watched by a guard in a light tower. Foucault built on this idea as a technology of pow­er that is visible and unverified. The panoptic prison is built to regulate the masses and disci­pline their souls through the il­lusion that they are being con­stantly monitored. Over time, the idea no longer needs brute enforcement. It internalises it­self, leading to the normalisa­tion of disciplinary behaviour, ultimately resulting in the dis-individualisation of power.

© The Nation